D300 False Low-Battery Warnings=Worthless DSLR…Thanks a lot Nikon

I bought a Nikon D300 just after Thanksgiving and was initially overjoyed with its performance. But my excitement waned after bringing it out to CES 2008 and experiencing false low battery warnings and other issues that rendered the camera useless.

The D300 was something I’d been salivating over for months and just couldn’t wait to get my hands on. I hunted down what seemed to be the last D300 in San Francisco and tacked on an 18-200mm VR lens and a SB-800 speedlight for a grand total of $3,000. This is quite a large investment, but well worth it considering photography is my passion and that I plan on using it for years to come.

As of 3/12/08 I haven’t had any battery-related problems with my second Nikon D300, but I haven’t really put it through its paces yet. I have less than 1,500 shutter releases on it and am still hoping for the best. As you can see in the comments below and at popular photog forums, a lot of other D300 users are experience the same dreadful problems.

I was impressed with the performance of the D300 and thought I’d found the camera of my dreams. The pictures were stunning and low-light performance was amazing. Some of my family members are professional commercial photographers and they urged me to switch to Canon when I told them I was buying a new DSLR. I didn’t listen and when I showed them the D300 and some shots I took with it they were very impressed.

But then I brought the rig to CES 2008 and the camera started flipping out. On the first day at the show my D300 started displaying a low-battery warning after I shot a few frames. I swapped out the battery pack, assuming I’d accidentally drained the battery some how. After a few more shots I got the low-battery warning again. I pulled the battery out, put it back in and my lcd showed that I had a full battery. I was able to take 20 to 30 shots without incident, but then the battery warning came back…again and again and again.

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check out the video for a taste of the D300 false dead battery warning

I brought my D300 to the Nikon booth at CES and the product guys were pretty much dumbfounded. They said they hadn’t seen or heard of this issue before. They played with my D300 for a while and determined it was definitely not within specs.They recommended I bring the D300 back to where I purchased it, but that didn’t do me a whole lot of good while at the show.

I carried the D300 with me for the rest of the week at CES, eeking out a few shots here and there. The D300 continued to seize constantly and I had to retake shot after shot, looking like a complete moron as I had to ask people to stay still for another try.

The week after CES I had to bring the D300 to MacWorld. The D300 acted up again and I stopped by the Nikon booth again to see if this batch of Nikon guys had any advice. They didn’t, but one of the Nikon employees was extremely helpful and assured me he’d have my D300 replaced if my local retailer couldn’t help me.

The D300 also started having focusing and metering problems on top of the false low-battery warnings. Auto-focus would work sporadically and the camera started metering at “F 0.” The A f-stop of zero is physically impossible, yet my D300 seems to think it’s perfectly acceptable to release the shutter with this kind of reading. When I took some of the photos, the meter read F 0, but when I imported the photos the EXIF apperture data was blank.The result was several underexposed and/or out of focus shots.

I called the Ritz Ultra store where I purchased the D300, and was assured they’d replace it as soon as they received the next shipment of D300s.It’s been a week and I still haven’t heard back, and for all I know it might be another week or more before it’s replaced.

I’m pretty loyal to the Nikon brand. My dad taught me the basics of photography on his Nikon SLR. I used a F100 for years and ‘went digital’ when Nikon launched the D70 four years ago.

Here’s a shot of an ultramobile PC with the whacked out exposure.

A quick on/off cycle let me take a properly exposed photo of the same device:

I was an early adopter of the D70, and about a year and a half after using it I experienced the Blinking Green Light of Death, which was caused by a faulty circuit board. Nikon repaired it for free and I wrote it off a mishap, since this was my first real problem with a Nikon product.

This is the service bulletin Nikon issued when for the D70:

It has come to our attention that select electrical components in a limited number of D70 cameras may, in some instances, fail affecting camera performance and/or operability.

While only a limited number of D70 cameras are affected by this advisory, if (1) when a memory card is inserted, your D70’s memory card access lamp blinks, locking camera operations and preventing operation, or (2) with no memory card inserted, the camera will not turn on despite the battery indicator showing a fully charged battery, Nikon Inc. will service it free of charge.

All of the above solutions are unacceptable. The D300 was named Camera of the Year by Popular Photography and is marketed as a professional camera. A professional camera needs to be reliable. A professional camera needs to WORK. A professional camera needs to have flaws like this figured out BEFORE it ships. When customers spend $1,800 on a camera body they shouldn’t have to figure out how to shim the battery in place, or otherwise coax it into working.

I’ve talked to a lot of other geeks and photographers about my D300. Some people think I’m just unlucky and got a lemon, but there are just too many other D300 owners complaining about similar issues. So far I’ve found dozens of people online with similar problems. I think it’s time Nikon recognizes this as a serious quality control issue and do something about it as soon as possible. If that means halting shipments, issuing a service bulletin or recalling some or all of the D300s that have shipped, so be it.

This was my biggest gadget purchase in a long time, and my biggest disappointment. I’m sure someone at Ritz and/or Nikon will replace my Nikon, but I’ve never felt so crappy about a big gadget purchase before. I just paid off my $3,000 AMEX bill for the camera and all I have to show for it is a camera that doesn’t work and a bunch of sh***y photos from the biggest computer trade shows I go to all year. Thanks a lot Nikon.

update: This issue reminded me of my F100 and film gear, which I haven’t touched for a while. I pulled it out of the closet, but I won’t be shooting with it either, as my SB-28 speedlight seems to have died while in storage. Fresh batteries and cleaning did nothing to revive it. I’m seriously starting to lose faith in Nikon…Is this why all the pro-Canon guys sneer at my Nikon gear at conferences???

update 2: I pickd up my new D300 from the Ritz Ultra store in downtown San Francisco. The Ritz employee was very sympathetic and the exchange was hassle free. She didn’t even bother me for a receipt. I’ve shot a couple of dozen frames on the new D300 and it’s working like a charm. It’ll take a couple of months of flawless operation for me to be convinced I aven’t received another problem D300.

update 3: As of 3/12/08 I haven’t had any battery-related problems with my second Nikon D300, but I haven’t really put it through its paces yet. I have less than 1,500 shutter releases on it and am still hoping for the best. As you can see in the comments below and at popular photog forums, a lot of other D300 users are experience the same dreadful problems.

393 Responses

I had exactly the same initial experience with my D300 — spurious low-battery warnings and occasional blank frames. Fortunately, I had bought mine from a local dealer, who just handed me another one and said he’d make his Nikon rep sort it out.

One thing I did with my replacement camera — and which you might want to do with yours, to get your confidence in it back — was use the built-in intervalometer to make a LOT of test shots. I programmed mine to make three-exposure bursts at five-second intervals, then went away and left it clicking for about an hour… that’s 2,160 test shots. Then I did another series making five-exposure bursts at 30-second intervals… 600 shots per hour, for about two hours. It ran through these without missing a beat, so I figure my second D300 must be a good one.

One word of warning: If your second D300 also misbehaves, the problem may not be your camera, but your VR lens. Another owner on a Nikon forum tipped me off that his camera had displayed similar systems, and a Nikon technician told him a faulty VR lens can produce these. Apparently it was a simple fix, as the technician was able to fix his lens on a while-you-wait basis.

Yes, it’s annoying that this stuff would happen on a brand-new Nikon. But I’m not as down on it as you are, since I’ve also had fresh-out-of-the-box problems with cameras from Canon, Minolta, Contax, and Leica!

I had exactly the same initial experience with my D300 — spurious low-battery warnings and occasional blank frames. Fortunately, I had bought mine from a local dealer, who just handed me another one and said he’d make his Nikon rep sort it out.

One thing I did with my replacement camera — and which you might want to do with yours, to get your confidence in it back — was use the built-in intervalometer to make a LOT of test shots. I programmed mine to make three-exposure bursts at five-second intervals, then went away and left it clicking for about an hour… that’s 2,160 test shots. Then I did another series making five-exposure bursts at 30-second intervals… 600 shots per hour, for about two hours. It ran through these without missing a beat, so I figure my second D300 must be a good one.

One word of warning: If your second D300 also misbehaves, the problem may not be your camera, but your VR lens. Another owner on a Nikon forum tipped me off that his camera had displayed similar systems, and a Nikon technician told him a faulty VR lens can produce these. Apparently it was a simple fix, as the technician was able to fix his lens on a while-you-wait basis.

Yes, it’s annoying that this stuff would happen on a brand-new Nikon. But I’m not as down on it as you are, since I’ve also had fresh-out-of-the-box problems with cameras from Canon, Minolta, Contax, and Leica!

I had the same problems with a D80 and the 18-200VR lens. I looked at a lot of posts on Nikonians and read about making sure the lens had properly clicked in. I did this and have never had a false battery warning since, that’s one year and thousands of shots later!

I had the same problems with a D80 and the 18-200VR lens. I looked at a lot of posts on Nikonians and read about making sure the lens had properly clicked in. I did this and have never had a false battery warning since, that’s one year and thousands of shots later!

I am also getting similar problems with my D300. Incidentally, I use it with the 70-200 2.8 VR lens. The battery indicator will just show empty and I cannot operate the shutter. If I switch off and on again, or press the Mode button, the indicator shows full again and away I go – sometimes fine for rest of the day, other time I have to repeat this every few shots. Really frustrating I have to agree.

I am also getting similar problems with my D300. Incidentally, I use it with the 70-200 2.8 VR lens. The battery indicator will just show empty and I cannot operate the shutter. If I switch off and on again, or press the Mode button, the indicator shows full again and away I go – sometimes fine for rest of the day, other time I have to repeat this every few shots. Really frustrating I have to agree.

Sorry you’ve had a bad experience. I love my D300, and have had no problems with any of my lenses.
I would clean the contacts on your lenses with a good quality contact cleaner. Remember that the whole ring needs to be cleaned.

The nikonians board and dpreview d300 forum have both addressed this issue, and people seem to have good results after cleaning the contacts.
The only contact cleaner I’ve used is, http://www.deoxit.com

Sorry you’ve had a bad experience. I love my D300, and have had no problems with any of my lenses.
I would clean the contacts on your lenses with a good quality contact cleaner. Remember that the whole ring needs to be cleaned.

The nikonians board and dpreview d300 forum have both addressed this issue, and people seem to have good results after cleaning the contacts.
The only contact cleaner I’ve used is, http://www.deoxit.com

Glad to hear you haven’t had any problems with your D300. I’ve read the tips over at dpreview and nikonians, but still believe this problem is unacceptable.
Users who experience it (at least to the degree I had) should exchange their D300.

Some people have found the problem seems to be coming from the battery losing contact, not the lens, and have ‘fixed’ it by shoving a piece of cardboard in the battery bay.

Also, I expect the D300 to have some sense of ruggedness. When I’m out in the field shooting, I don’t want to worry about “if” my camera’s going to work.

So far, I haven’t experienced any problems with my replacement D300, and I believe I’ve shot more frames with it and have used it in harsher conditions than my first one- outdoors vs. trade shows.

Glad to hear you haven’t had any problems with your D300. I’ve read the tips over at dpreview and nikonians, but still believe this problem is unacceptable.
Users who experience it (at least to the degree I had) should exchange their D300.

Some people have found the problem seems to be coming from the battery losing contact, not the lens, and have ‘fixed’ it by shoving a piece of cardboard in the battery bay.

Also, I expect the D300 to have some sense of ruggedness. When I’m out in the field shooting, I don’t want to worry about “if” my camera’s going to work.

So far, I haven’t experienced any problems with my replacement D300, and I believe I’ve shot more frames with it and have used it in harsher conditions than my first one- outdoors vs. trade shows.

I got my D300 about two weeks ago, it has a Sigma DC 18-200mm lens. For the first 5-10 times I used the camera, it was fine. This past weekend, it started acting as if the battery was low, turning off. I’d turn it off then on, and it would be fine…for a while. The thing is, after Saturday, it’s been happening more and more often, and sooner after I turn the camera on and start shooting.

After I read this article, I realized that as of Tuesday, it started with the meter issue as well. I was out shooting and it was having the usual battery issue, but I did a series of high-speed shots of a running deer, and didn’t see until I looked at the images on my pc that at least two of them were almost black just like the ones shown here. I’m not happy to have this issue, I just want to use my new camera! Looks like I have to call Nikon.

I got my D300 about two weeks ago, it has a Sigma DC 18-200mm lens. For the first 5-10 times I used the camera, it was fine. This past weekend, it started acting as if the battery was low, turning off. I’d turn it off then on, and it would be fine…for a while. The thing is, after Saturday, it’s been happening more and more often, and sooner after I turn the camera on and start shooting.

After I read this article, I realized that as of Tuesday, it started with the meter issue as well. I was out shooting and it was having the usual battery issue, but I did a series of high-speed shots of a running deer, and didn’t see until I looked at the images on my pc that at least two of them were almost black just like the ones shown here. I’m not happy to have this issue, I just want to use my new camera! Looks like I have to call Nikon.

@Abbey/Joy- Sorry to hear you’re having the same D300 battery problem I had on my first D300.
At first, may people experiencing this problem blamed the 18-200VR Nikon lens as the culprit, but it’s clear this is a D300 body problem after seeing that Abbey is using a Sigma lens and others have had the same malfunction with various lenses.

@Abbey/Joy- Sorry to hear you’re having the same D300 battery problem I had on my first D300.
At first, may people experiencing this problem blamed the 18-200VR Nikon lens as the culprit, but it’s clear this is a D300 body problem after seeing that Abbey is using a Sigma lens and others have had the same malfunction with various lenses.

@Abbey/Joy- Sorry to hear you’re having the same D300 battery problem I had on my first D300.
At first, may people experiencing this problem blamed the 18-200VR Nikon lens as the culprit, but it’s clear this is a D300 body problem after seeing that Abbey is using a Sigma lens and others have had the same malfunction with various lenses.

I haven’t accepted it – I just refused to not use my brand new camera. :)It was a last ditch effort to wait it out in the unlikely case it was temporary. Obviously it’s not, and I’m packing up and sending it to Nikon Monday.

I haven’t accepted it – I just refused to not use my brand new camera. :)It was a last ditch effort to wait it out in the unlikely case it was temporary. Obviously it’s not, and I’m packing up and sending it to Nikon Monday.

Don’t be discouraged by Nikon- the D300 is a great camera- when it works lol, But hopefully you’ll have endless hassle free shooting with your new one . Like someone else said-make sure the contacts are nice and clean- this will improve performance 🙂 best of luck!

Don’t be discouraged by Nikon- the D300 is a great camera- when it works lol, But hopefully you’ll have endless hassle free shooting with your new one . Like someone else said-make sure the contacts are nice and clean- this will improve performance 🙂 best of luck!

@Lu- I’m just starting to gain confidence in the my second Nikon D300 and haven’t had any issues with it so far.
But if anyone else experiences the same problem they should return it to their Nikon dealer ASAP. I understand clean contacts are def. better for optimal performance, but the issues I and several others experienced aren’t normal.

@Lu- I’m just starting to gain confidence in the my second Nikon D300 and haven’t had any issues with it so far.
But if anyone else experiences the same problem they should return it to their Nikon dealer ASAP. I understand clean contacts are def. better for optimal performance, but the issues I and several others experienced aren’t normal.

@Lu- I’m just starting to gain confidence in the my second Nikon D300 and haven’t had any issues with it so far.
But if anyone else experiences the same problem they should return it to their Nikon dealer ASAP. I understand clean contacts are def. better for optimal performance, but the issues I and several others experienced aren’t normal.

Found this website through Google. I’m also experiencing problems with batteries, but not only with my new D300. I bought an Albinar EN-EL3e battery for my D200 two months ago. This battery ‘died’ on me (from full to empty in 2 shots). It showed the empty battery icon on my D200, and as well on my brand new D300.
The battery isn’t empty, because it stops charging after 2 to 3 minutes.

The battery works fine on other camera’s. We tried 4 different models D80, 2 * D200, and a D300 and battery worked flawlessly on those.
My 2 original Nikon batteries work fine by the way.

Found this website through Google. I’m also experiencing problems with batteries, but not only with my new D300. I bought an Albinar EN-EL3e battery for my D200 two months ago. This battery ‘died’ on me (from full to empty in 2 shots). It showed the empty battery icon on my D200, and as well on my brand new D300.
The battery isn’t empty, because it stops charging after 2 to 3 minutes.

The battery works fine on other camera’s. We tried 4 different models D80, 2 * D200, and a D300 and battery worked flawlessly on those.
My 2 original Nikon batteries work fine by the way.

I seem to be having the same problem with my D80. All of a sudden I started experiencing issues with it not acquiring focus. I kept getting an error. I removed the lens and reseated it and it was fine for some time, but it is began acting up with what I would assume is a “false” low battery. The battery is new and on it’s first recharge. The Lens issue gets me since I had never removed the lens once since purchasing it in July!

I seem to be having the same problem with my D80. All of a sudden I started experiencing issues with it not acquiring focus. I kept getting an error. I removed the lens and reseated it and it was fine for some time, but it is began acting up with what I would assume is a “false” low battery. The battery is new and on it’s first recharge. The Lens issue gets me since I had never removed the lens once since purchasing it in July!

I seem to be having the same problem with my D80. All of a sudden I started experiencing issues with it not acquiring focus. I kept getting an error. I removed the lens and reseated it and it was fine for some time, but it is began acting up with what I would assume is a “false” low battery. The battery is new and on it’s first recharge. The Lens issue gets me since I had never removed the lens once since purchasing it in July!

I also have the D300 Battery Issue. It seems to only fail with the 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens. I wonder if the camera body flexes with the weight of the heavier lens which allows the battery to loose contact with the weak spring on the cernral battery contact. The issue doesn’t seem to hapen with other lenses including the 24-70mm. I just find it interesting that the 2 Nikon Reps I have spoken with deny ever hearing about this problem. Guess I’m going to ship mine back Nikon as well including the lens.

I also have the D300 Battery Issue. It seems to only fail with the 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens. I wonder if the camera body flexes with the weight of the heavier lens which allows the battery to loose contact with the weak spring on the cernral battery contact. The issue doesn’t seem to hapen with other lenses including the 24-70mm. I just find it interesting that the 2 Nikon Reps I have spoken with deny ever hearing about this problem. Guess I’m going to ship mine back Nikon as well including the lens.

I found this post by doing a random “google” of the phrase “Nikon D80 False Low battery”. Reading this was very helpful. I was really getting torqued up about the false readings and the lost shots.

After reading the posts here, I’ve concluded that it isn’t the camera. It is the VR or OS lenses that cause the issue.

For over a year, I’ve shot thousands of photos around the world without incident until I decided to purchase a Sigma 18-200 Optical Stabilization lens. I’ve taken some great photos with the lens, and it is a good deal for the price. However, the OS lens is the only lens with which I have this problem.

Having heard that the Nikor VR 18-200 lens can produce the same issue seems to indicate that there is a conflict with the on and off cycle of the silent wave motor relative to other operations of the camera. In the Sigma lens if you turn the camera off before their version of the motor cycles off, you get a buzzing noise. Doesn’t happen with the Nikor, I’m told.

That isn’t comforting, but at least it isn’t a camera issue. It is an integration issue with the VR/OS technology. They just have bugs to work out with the VR or OS function of the lenses to make them more compatible. Perhaps a seperate battery for the lens motor? I don’t know. I don’t make ’em…

But now I have a lens that is questionable in the field…and I’m not very happy about that.

I found this post by doing a random “google” of the phrase “Nikon D80 False Low battery”. Reading this was very helpful. I was really getting torqued up about the false readings and the lost shots.

After reading the posts here, I’ve concluded that it isn’t the camera. It is the VR or OS lenses that cause the issue.

For over a year, I’ve shot thousands of photos around the world without incident until I decided to purchase a Sigma 18-200 Optical Stabilization lens. I’ve taken some great photos with the lens, and it is a good deal for the price. However, the OS lens is the only lens with which I have this problem.

Having heard that the Nikor VR 18-200 lens can produce the same issue seems to indicate that there is a conflict with the on and off cycle of the silent wave motor relative to other operations of the camera. In the Sigma lens if you turn the camera off before their version of the motor cycles off, you get a buzzing noise. Doesn’t happen with the Nikor, I’m told.

That isn’t comforting, but at least it isn’t a camera issue. It is an integration issue with the VR/OS technology. They just have bugs to work out with the VR or OS function of the lenses to make them more compatible. Perhaps a seperate battery for the lens motor? I don’t know. I don’t make ’em…

But now I have a lens that is questionable in the field…and I’m not very happy about that.

I found this post by doing a random “google” of the phrase “Nikon D80 False Low battery”. Reading this was very helpful. I was really getting torqued up about the false readings and the lost shots.

After reading the posts here, I’ve concluded that it isn’t the camera. It is the VR or OS lenses that cause the issue.

For over a year, I’ve shot thousands of photos around the world without incident until I decided to purchase a Sigma 18-200 Optical Stabilization lens. I’ve taken some great photos with the lens, and it is a good deal for the price. However, the OS lens is the only lens with which I have this problem.

Having heard that the Nikor VR 18-200 lens can produce the same issue seems to indicate that there is a conflict with the on and off cycle of the silent wave motor relative to other operations of the camera. In the Sigma lens if you turn the camera off before their version of the motor cycles off, you get a buzzing noise. Doesn’t happen with the Nikor, I’m told.

That isn’t comforting, but at least it isn’t a camera issue. It is an integration issue with the VR/OS technology. They just have bugs to work out with the VR or OS function of the lenses to make them more compatible. Perhaps a seperate battery for the lens motor? I don’t know. I don’t make ’em…

But now I have a lens that is questionable in the field…and I’m not very happy about that.

Steve- interesting theory, but I don’t think the VR/OS lenses are fully to blame for the false low battery warnings. I’m on my second Nikon D300 and haven’t experienced any of the same problems even though I’m using the Nikon VR 18-200 lens.

I’ve also read a lot of others complaining about false low battery readings on the D300 who’ve had luck fixing it by using shims or cleaning the contacts.

Steve- interesting theory, but I don’t think the VR/OS lenses are fully to blame for the false low battery warnings. I’m on my second Nikon D300 and haven’t experienced any of the same problems even though I’m using the Nikon VR 18-200 lens.

I’ve also read a lot of others complaining about false low battery readings on the D300 who’ve had luck fixing it by using shims or cleaning the contacts.

Steve- interesting theory, but I don’t think the VR/OS lenses are fully to blame for the false low battery warnings. I’m on my second Nikon D300 and haven’t experienced any of the same problems even though I’m using the Nikon VR 18-200 lens.

I’ve also read a lot of others complaining about false low battery readings on the D300 who’ve had luck fixing it by using shims or cleaning the contacts.

You guys aren’t the only ones with this problem. Just bought mine today at 5pm and as of 10pm it’s dead. I’m never able to get it to “boot up” again… I just get the low battery warning and it does nothing. I’ve tried 3 different batteries and with and without the MBD10 grip. I’m using the ENEL3e batteries, and it’s definitely not a “battery contact issue”. I’m also dubious about it being a lens mount issue. I was using a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 when it happened to me, so I don’t think it has anything to do with VR or anything like that. Well… guess I’ll take it back to the shop tomorrow.

You guys aren’t the only ones with this problem. Just bought mine today at 5pm and as of 10pm it’s dead. I’m never able to get it to “boot up” again… I just get the low battery warning and it does nothing. I’ve tried 3 different batteries and with and without the MBD10 grip. I’m using the ENEL3e batteries, and it’s definitely not a “battery contact issue”. I’m also dubious about it being a lens mount issue. I was using a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 when it happened to me, so I don’t think it has anything to do with VR or anything like that. Well… guess I’ll take it back to the shop tomorrow.

well – I am glad I found this page – I was frustrated after my trip to DC to get the Cherry Blossoms there and what do you know – the D300 just starts phasing out on me – I did have the 70-2– vr on but the glass worked fine on my D200 – going for the replacement as soon as I can get there

well – I am glad I found this page – I was frustrated after my trip to DC to get the Cherry Blossoms there and what do you know – the D300 just starts phasing out on me – I did have the 70-2– vr on but the glass worked fine on my D200 – going for the replacement as soon as I can get there

penga- sorry to hear about your D300 quiting on you during such a great photo opp! I saw some pics of the Cherry Blossoms earlier today and hope to make it out to DC one of these years to take some of my own.
I’ve put several calls/email in to Nikon and they’ve yet to respond. It’s been months since this problem’s cropped up, but there’s still no explanation. Worse yet, a few retailers I’ve spoken to have had returns because of this issue, but their Nikon rep is ‘unaware of any D300 problems like this.”

penga- sorry to hear about your D300 quiting on you during such a great photo opp! I saw some pics of the Cherry Blossoms earlier today and hope to make it out to DC one of these years to take some of my own.
I’ve put several calls/email in to Nikon and they’ve yet to respond. It’s been months since this problem’s cropped up, but there’s still no explanation. Worse yet, a few retailers I’ve spoken to have had returns because of this issue, but their Nikon rep is ‘unaware of any D300 problems like this.”

I had the same problem with my D300 couple of days after mounting a brand new 24-70 2.8 nikkor lens,so I guess that means VR has nothing to do with the problem.It has never done it with my 18-200vr lens.

I had the same problem with my D300 couple of days after mounting a brand new 24-70 2.8 nikkor lens,so I guess that means VR has nothing to do with the problem.It has never done it with my 18-200vr lens.

I had the same DBS problem on my D200 which also effected other D200 D2X & D80 owners.
Nikon had the camera for over 2 months and was hand carried back to them. The solution: They gave me a new camera with new grip and batteries.
IMHO Nikon didn’t know whats causing this problem.
Now that the problems resurfaced with the D300 I’m sure that they have never nailed down the problem.
Nikon all ways stands behind the product, which is good, but would be nice it they just sent out new cameras, rather than taking months to try and figure out the problem.
I have had no problems with my D300, but thanks for the alert. I also have D200 % D2h for backup, but they are not the same as a D300.

I had the same DBS problem on my D200 which also effected other D200 D2X & D80 owners.
Nikon had the camera for over 2 months and was hand carried back to them. The solution: They gave me a new camera with new grip and batteries.
IMHO Nikon didn’t know whats causing this problem.
Now that the problems resurfaced with the D300 I’m sure that they have never nailed down the problem.
Nikon all ways stands behind the product, which is good, but would be nice it they just sent out new cameras, rather than taking months to try and figure out the problem.
I have had no problems with my D300, but thanks for the alert. I also have D200 % D2h for backup, but they are not the same as a D300.

I had the same DBS problem on my D200 which also effected other D200 D2X & D80 owners.
Nikon had the camera for over 2 months and was hand carried back to them. The solution: They gave me a new camera with new grip and batteries.
IMHO Nikon didn’t know whats causing this problem.
Now that the problems resurfaced with the D300 I’m sure that they have never nailed down the problem.
Nikon all ways stands behind the product, which is good, but would be nice it they just sent out new cameras, rather than taking months to try and figure out the problem.
I have had no problems with my D300, but thanks for the alert. I also have D200 % D2h for backup, but they are not the same as a D300.

I had the same problem with my D300 & 70-200/1.7x tele. I cleaned all the lens contacts with Deoxit (Radio Shack catalog #: 64-4338) and it hasn’t happened since.
—
Trent R. Stanley
San Diego, CAhttp://www.sdbirder.com/

I had the same problem with my D300 & 70-200/1.7x tele. I cleaned all the lens contacts with Deoxit (Radio Shack catalog #: 64-4338) and it hasn’t happened since.
—
Trent R. Stanley
San Diego, CAhttp://www.sdbirder.com/

I had the same problem with my D300 & 70-200/1.7x tele. I cleaned all the lens contacts with Deoxit (Radio Shack catalog #: 64-4338) and it hasn’t happened since.
—
Trent R. Stanley
San Diego, CAhttp://www.sdbirder.com/

To the originator of this article; Sorry to hear of your problems, but I think you paint with a very big brush. To say that the D300 is a bad product because of a very small percentage of problem cameras, is really a diservice to consumers. Of course you hear of the ‘bad’ ones. Do you hear of the thousands of extremely happy consumers who have never had a problems with their D300? No. They are happily shooting away.

Do you really believe that Canon doesn’t have any problems? Come on, let’s get real.

To the originator of this article; Sorry to hear of your problems, but I think you paint with a very big brush. To say that the D300 is a bad product because of a very small percentage of problem cameras, is really a diservice to consumers. Of course you hear of the ‘bad’ ones. Do you hear of the thousands of extremely happy consumers who have never had a problems with their D300? No. They are happily shooting away.

Do you really believe that Canon doesn’t have any problems? Come on, let’s get real.

To the originator of this article; Sorry to hear of your problems, but I think you paint with a very big brush. To say that the D300 is a bad product because of a very small percentage of problem cameras, is really a diservice to consumers. Of course you hear of the ‘bad’ ones. Do you hear of the thousands of extremely happy consumers who have never had a problems with their D300? No. They are happily shooting away.

Do you really believe that Canon doesn’t have any problems? Come on, let’s get real.

@2tall- I don’t think the D300 is a ‘bad product,’ but there is a very real problem here.
I’m not painting with a ‘big brush’ here, just relating my personal experience with a problem D300 that didn’t live up to my expectations when I needed it the most. In a nutshell, I had a worthless DSLR during my confereneces and missed out on a LOT of shots (like Bill Gates’ last keynote at CES).

A ‘disservice to consumers’ would be to not share experiences like this with them and let Nikon tell them they’ve never heard of the problem. Several people have reported waiting weeks or months to get their camera fixed.

Having thousands of happy customers doesn’t matter much to the dozens/hundreds/thousands (not sure how widespread the problem is) of D300 owners that are experiencing similar problems.
What’s completely unacceptable is that Nikon’s not recognizing this as a known issue and replacing customers’ cameras. Nikon is making some of them go through hell to get a D300 that just works. I was lucky enough to have a retailer that replaced mine without too much hassle, but this hasn’t been the case for others.

I’m sure Canon products aren’t perfect, but this was my second Nikon DSLR purchase in a row that had major electrical issues and my patience is wearing thin.

I’m on my second Nikon D300 and it’s performed nicely for the past couple of months, but I’m still concerned since others have reported similar problems after really breaking in their D300s. I get an email or comment every couple of days from another dissatisfied D300 owner- just read all of the above comments/links.

@2tall- I don’t think the D300 is a ‘bad product,’ but there is a very real problem here.
I’m not painting with a ‘big brush’ here, just relating my personal experience with a problem D300 that didn’t live up to my expectations when I needed it the most. In a nutshell, I had a worthless DSLR during my confereneces and missed out on a LOT of shots (like Bill Gates’ last keynote at CES).

A ‘disservice to consumers’ would be to not share experiences like this with them and let Nikon tell them they’ve never heard of the problem. Several people have reported waiting weeks or months to get their camera fixed.

Having thousands of happy customers doesn’t matter much to the dozens/hundreds/thousands (not sure how widespread the problem is) of D300 owners that are experiencing similar problems.
What’s completely unacceptable is that Nikon’s not recognizing this as a known issue and replacing customers’ cameras. Nikon is making some of them go through hell to get a D300 that just works. I was lucky enough to have a retailer that replaced mine without too much hassle, but this hasn’t been the case for others.

I’m sure Canon products aren’t perfect, but this was my second Nikon DSLR purchase in a row that had major electrical issues and my patience is wearing thin.

I’m on my second Nikon D300 and it’s performed nicely for the past couple of months, but I’m still concerned since others have reported similar problems after really breaking in their D300s. I get an email or comment every couple of days from another dissatisfied D300 owner- just read all of the above comments/links.

@2tall- I don’t think the D300 is a ‘bad product,’ but there is a very real problem here.
I’m not painting with a ‘big brush’ here, just relating my personal experience with a problem D300 that didn’t live up to my expectations when I needed it the most. In a nutshell, I had a worthless DSLR during my confereneces and missed out on a LOT of shots (like Bill Gates’ last keynote at CES).

A ‘disservice to consumers’ would be to not share experiences like this with them and let Nikon tell them they’ve never heard of the problem. Several people have reported waiting weeks or months to get their camera fixed.

Having thousands of happy customers doesn’t matter much to the dozens/hundreds/thousands (not sure how widespread the problem is) of D300 owners that are experiencing similar problems.
What’s completely unacceptable is that Nikon’s not recognizing this as a known issue and replacing customers’ cameras. Nikon is making some of them go through hell to get a D300 that just works. I was lucky enough to have a retailer that replaced mine without too much hassle, but this hasn’t been the case for others.

I’m sure Canon products aren’t perfect, but this was my second Nikon DSLR purchase in a row that had major electrical issues and my patience is wearing thin.

I’m on my second Nikon D300 and it’s performed nicely for the past couple of months, but I’m still concerned since others have reported similar problems after really breaking in their D300s. I get an email or comment every couple of days from another dissatisfied D300 owner- just read all of the above comments/links.

I also have had this problem, once with my D300 and many times with my D200. I believe this is a lens mount issue. For the D200 it took two trips to Nikon to fix the issue. The camera came back with a very tight lens mount and the problem never happened again. The D300 I cleaned the contacts with Deoxit and it has not occurred again (knock on wood).
My theory is that a loose fitting lens will get moved around and cause a small short or lack of contact with the camera giving the error. If you can reproduce the error by slightly moving the lens while the camera is on, then I would definitely recommend sending back to Nikon with a letter explaining how you reproduced the error. If you can not reproduce the error by moving the lens on the mount while the camera is on, then deoxit will definitely help.
Hope it helps someone!!

I also have had this problem, once with my D300 and many times with my D200. I believe this is a lens mount issue. For the D200 it took two trips to Nikon to fix the issue. The camera came back with a very tight lens mount and the problem never happened again. The D300 I cleaned the contacts with Deoxit and it has not occurred again (knock on wood).
My theory is that a loose fitting lens will get moved around and cause a small short or lack of contact with the camera giving the error. If you can reproduce the error by slightly moving the lens while the camera is on, then I would definitely recommend sending back to Nikon with a letter explaining how you reproduced the error. If you can not reproduce the error by moving the lens on the mount while the camera is on, then deoxit will definitely help.
Hope it helps someone!!

I also have had this problem, once with my D300 and many times with my D200. I believe this is a lens mount issue. For the D200 it took two trips to Nikon to fix the issue. The camera came back with a very tight lens mount and the problem never happened again. The D300 I cleaned the contacts with Deoxit and it has not occurred again (knock on wood).
My theory is that a loose fitting lens will get moved around and cause a small short or lack of contact with the camera giving the error. If you can reproduce the error by slightly moving the lens while the camera is on, then I would definitely recommend sending back to Nikon with a letter explaining how you reproduced the error. If you can not reproduce the error by moving the lens on the mount while the camera is on, then deoxit will definitely help.
Hope it helps someone!!

hello, Happenend to lay my hands on a d-300 with a 18-70 AF-s lens, the same problem as faced by all of you occured, in my case the camera simply refuses to start. will send it to nikon and keep you updated on what they say.the camera is just out of the box with out a single shot taken. already claened the battery contacts this has not helped
regards
sethu

hello, Happenend to lay my hands on a d-300 with a 18-70 AF-s lens, the same problem as faced by all of you occured, in my case the camera simply refuses to start. will send it to nikon and keep you updated on what they say.the camera is just out of the box with out a single shot taken. already claened the battery contacts this has not helped
regards
sethu

hello, Happenend to lay my hands on a d-300 with a 18-70 AF-s lens, the same problem as faced by all of you occured, in my case the camera simply refuses to start. will send it to nikon and keep you updated on what they say.the camera is just out of the box with out a single shot taken. already claened the battery contacts this has not helped
regards
sethu

After the frustration I have to say I’m glad that it just took me 10 mins to google some relevant enough results.

I’m having exactly the same problem on my new D300 I bought 2 weeks ago. Then I tried that specific EN-EL3E (comes with the D300 sales pack) on my old D80, works perfectly fine. It doesn’t seem to be the issue with VR lenses either as the low-batt issue just exists as much as with my AF-S Nikkor 24-70/F2,8G and 85/1,4. Really irritating when you missed the particular moment.

I think I’ll bring it back to the dealer for the replacement, but a huge effort would be expected to explain and prove it, especially when such issue cannot be 100% reproduced. Any good suggestion?

After the frustration I have to say I’m glad that it just took me 10 mins to google some relevant enough results.

I’m having exactly the same problem on my new D300 I bought 2 weeks ago. Then I tried that specific EN-EL3E (comes with the D300 sales pack) on my old D80, works perfectly fine. It doesn’t seem to be the issue with VR lenses either as the low-batt issue just exists as much as with my AF-S Nikkor 24-70/F2,8G and 85/1,4. Really irritating when you missed the particular moment.

I think I’ll bring it back to the dealer for the replacement, but a huge effort would be expected to explain and prove it, especially when such issue cannot be 100% reproduced. Any good suggestion?

After the frustration I have to say I’m glad that it just took me 10 mins to google some relevant enough results.

I’m having exactly the same problem on my new D300 I bought 2 weeks ago. Then I tried that specific EN-EL3E (comes with the D300 sales pack) on my old D80, works perfectly fine. It doesn’t seem to be the issue with VR lenses either as the low-batt issue just exists as much as with my AF-S Nikkor 24-70/F2,8G and 85/1,4. Really irritating when you missed the particular moment.

I think I’ll bring it back to the dealer for the replacement, but a huge effort would be expected to explain and prove it, especially when such issue cannot be 100% reproduced. Any good suggestion?

@Ellu-I’d suggest calling your dealer and explaining the problem to him before you go to his store. Ritz didn’t give me any trouble about the exchange at all.
If he has a computer in the store, direct him to the above video and that should help.
Don’t settle for anything else than a new camera. Just be very polite to the camera dealer- as far as I know, Nikon hasn’t issued any kind of service advisory so he may be unaware of this problem in general.
When I first experienced it people didn’t believe me until I demonstrated it to them.
The dealer shouldn’t give you too much trouble as they don’t take a hit for defective merchandise-that’s Nikon’s responsibility. The dealer should be on your side here.

@Ellu-I’d suggest calling your dealer and explaining the problem to him before you go to his store. Ritz didn’t give me any trouble about the exchange at all.
If he has a computer in the store, direct him to the above video and that should help.
Don’t settle for anything else than a new camera. Just be very polite to the camera dealer- as far as I know, Nikon hasn’t issued any kind of service advisory so he may be unaware of this problem in general.
When I first experienced it people didn’t believe me until I demonstrated it to them.
The dealer shouldn’t give you too much trouble as they don’t take a hit for defective merchandise-that’s Nikon’s responsibility. The dealer should be on your side here.

hello,
changed the battery, and the camera is working fine. the new body had come with a after market battery, the original battery did the trick. wrote to nikon, they informed that they would charge me for it. my local dealer v.g.chimalgi sloved the problem,(anand who manages the shop put in a new battery and the camera started), what foxed us both is the old battery was working perfectly on a d-200 and d-80, but refused to work on the new d-300, so do try this out
regards
sethu

hello,
changed the battery, and the camera is working fine. the new body had come with a after market battery, the original battery did the trick. wrote to nikon, they informed that they would charge me for it. my local dealer v.g.chimalgi sloved the problem,(anand who manages the shop put in a new battery and the camera started), what foxed us both is the old battery was working perfectly on a d-200 and d-80, but refused to work on the new d-300, so do try this out
regards
sethu

hello,
changed the battery, and the camera is working fine. the new body had come with a after market battery, the original battery did the trick. wrote to nikon, they informed that they would charge me for it. my local dealer v.g.chimalgi sloved the problem,(anand who manages the shop put in a new battery and the camera started), what foxed us both is the old battery was working perfectly on a d-200 and d-80, but refused to work on the new d-300, so do try this out
regards
sethu

I am reading through this blog–only I have a D200-and am having the same problems. I bought one in 6-06 and it started having electrical probs and flashing “dead battery” so I took it in. I was told to send off the flash and replace my sync cord. I made the mistake of buying a second one in 3-07. Now neither one is working. I have had each in at least twice-and Nikon is fighting me because my extended warranty serial number and reciept doesn’t match my camera–Have you ever gotten the wrong one back from Nikon after a repair????

my Camera to him–my name was on the inside and outside of box. Nikon also tried to stick me with a 500.00 bill to fix my 70-200. My lense had a warranty of 5 years and i just happen complain to OPT and the owner took care of the problem right

away. NIkon never asked back for the camera they sent to me, but the guy said they replaced his with a new one. Nikon would never return any calls.

my Camera to him–my name was on the inside and outside of box. Nikon also tried to stick me with a 500.00 bill to fix my 70-200. My lense had a warranty of 5 years and i just happen complain to OPT and the owner took care of the problem right

away. NIkon never asked back for the camera they sent to me, but the guy said they replaced his with a new one. Nikon would never return any calls.

I am reading through this blog–only I have a D200-and am having the same problems. I bought one in 6-06 and it started having electrical probs and flashing “dead battery” so I took it in. I was told to send off the flash and replace my sync cord. I made the mistake of buying a second one in 3-07. Now neither one is working. I have had each in at least twice-and Nikon is fighting me because my extended warranty serial number and reciept doesn’t match my camera–Have you ever gotten the wrong one back from Nikon after a repair????

I am reading through this blog–only I have a D200-and am having the same problems. I bought one in 6-06 and it started having electrical probs and flashing “dead battery” so I took it in. I was told to send off the flash and replace my sync cord. I made the mistake of buying a second one in 3-07. Now neither one is working. I have had each in at least twice-and Nikon is fighting me because my extended warranty serial number and reciept doesn’t match my camera–Have you ever gotten the wrong one back from Nikon after a repair????

my Camera to him–my name was on the inside and outside of box. Nikon also tried to stick me with a 500.00 bill to fix my 70-200. My lense had a warranty of 5 years and i just happen complain to OPT and the owner took care of the problem right

away. NIkon never asked back for the camera they sent to me, but the guy said they replaced his with a new one. Nikon would never return any calls.

Bought my D300 March 25th started doing the same low battery problem last week. Bought more batteries thinking that was the problem. Bought another charger thinking that was the problem and then read this forum. Camera definitely has a problem. Using the 80-400 lens. Weight/Flex may be a problem??

Bought my D300 March 25th started doing the same low battery problem last week. Bought more batteries thinking that was the problem. Bought another charger thinking that was the problem and then read this forum. Camera definitely has a problem. Using the 80-400 lens. Weight/Flex may be a problem??

Bought my D300 March 25th started doing the same low battery problem last week. Bought more batteries thinking that was the problem. Bought another charger thinking that was the problem and then read this forum. Camera definitely has a problem. Using the 80-400 lens. Weight/Flex may be a problem??

Hello everybody,
I bought my D80 in december ’07 and love it since then. a few days ago the Falese battery warning issue appeard. I only have the 18-70 lens so i think is not the vr lens that causes it. Anyway, hopefully nikon will finaly take responsability and do something about this problem, the first step would be to admit it.
I love my D80 and I wouldn’t trade it for any canon, i’m just an ammateure of course but i love how it feels and now that he’s ill, i’m by his side.

Hello everybody,
I bought my D80 in december ’07 and love it since then. a few days ago the Falese battery warning issue appeard. I only have the 18-70 lens so i think is not the vr lens that causes it. Anyway, hopefully nikon will finaly take responsability and do something about this problem, the first step would be to admit it.
I love my D80 and I wouldn’t trade it for any canon, i’m just an ammateure of course but i love how it feels and now that he’s ill, i’m by his side.

Hello everybody,
I bought my D80 in december ’07 and love it since then. a few days ago the Falese battery warning issue appeard. I only have the 18-70 lens so i think is not the vr lens that causes it. Anyway, hopefully nikon will finaly take responsability and do something about this problem, the first step would be to admit it.
I love my D80 and I wouldn’t trade it for any canon, i’m just an ammateure of course but i love how it feels and now that he’s ill, i’m by his side.

I have the same issue on my D300 and one D200 that is on parts hold at nikon repair in NY . I sent in my 70 x 200 VR as it is the only Vr lens that is causing the issue . Nikon replaced the lens bayonet and it fits tighter but the D200 still had the dead battery issue. I will see if they fix my D200 first before i send in my new D300. Its a shame but i too have lost respect for Nikon

I have the same issue on my D300 and one D200 that is on parts hold at nikon repair in NY . I sent in my 70 x 200 VR as it is the only Vr lens that is causing the issue . Nikon replaced the lens bayonet and it fits tighter but the D200 still had the dead battery issue. I will see if they fix my D200 first before i send in my new D300. Its a shame but i too have lost respect for Nikon

I have the same issue on my D300 and one D200 that is on parts hold at nikon repair in NY . I sent in my 70 x 200 VR as it is the only Vr lens that is causing the issue . Nikon replaced the lens bayonet and it fits tighter but the D200 still had the dead battery issue. I will see if they fix my D200 first before i send in my new D300. Its a shame but i too have lost respect for Nikon

I have both a D200 and D80, and they both have that annoying battery indicator problem. It must be a Nikon thing!! It’s irritating when you’re facing a shot that can’t be duplicated and the camera won’t cooperate. I was wondering if it may be that because of my swapping lenses or memory cards without shutting the camera down caused the problem. Not sure if those items are hot-swappable. If not, they certainly should be!! Time is money!! And I was going to purchase a D3…

I have both a D200 and D80, and they both have that annoying battery indicator problem. It must be a Nikon thing!! It’s irritating when you’re facing a shot that can’t be duplicated and the camera won’t cooperate. I was wondering if it may be that because of my swapping lenses or memory cards without shutting the camera down caused the problem. Not sure if those items are hot-swappable. If not, they certainly should be!! Time is money!! And I was going to purchase a D3…

I have both a D200 and D80, and they both have that annoying battery indicator problem. It must be a Nikon thing!! It’s irritating when you’re facing a shot that can’t be duplicated and the camera won’t cooperate. I was wondering if it may be that because of my swapping lenses or memory cards without shutting the camera down caused the problem. Not sure if those items are hot-swappable. If not, they certainly should be!! Time is money!! And I was going to purchase a D3…

I’ve had a D300 for 3 months now and I got this issue only a few times. Every time this happened, I turned the camera off and back on again -> everything returned to normal.

When I had my 50mmf1.8 on all was ok, when I had my 18-200 VR all was OK, but when I put on the Sigma 18-200 OS I got this issue 3 times in, let’s say, 3 weeks time.

I also believe that it is related to the OS/VR (although it didn’t happen with the VR lens on). So, when the OS switch is turned on, the system starts functioning when you half-press the shutter button (and it starts making the awfull sound). It stops functioning a few seconds after you release the shutter button (making that sound again).

I got the battery issue on two ocasions:

1) I wanted to preview the picture the second after it was taken (the OS was still on)–> I’ve tried it again, this time waiting for the OS to turn off, and everything was ok.

2)I turned the camera off without waiting for the OS to turn off.

So, from my experience, it is an issue with the stabilization system compatibilty. We should tell Nikon to look into this. I’ve only got this issue a few times but I’m sure it can become most annoying!
Anyone got the same experience?

I’ve had a D300 for 3 months now and I got this issue only a few times. Every time this happened, I turned the camera off and back on again -> everything returned to normal.

When I had my 50mmf1.8 on all was ok, when I had my 18-200 VR all was OK, but when I put on the Sigma 18-200 OS I got this issue 3 times in, let’s say, 3 weeks time.

I also believe that it is related to the OS/VR (although it didn’t happen with the VR lens on). So, when the OS switch is turned on, the system starts functioning when you half-press the shutter button (and it starts making the awfull sound). It stops functioning a few seconds after you release the shutter button (making that sound again).

I got the battery issue on two ocasions:

1) I wanted to preview the picture the second after it was taken (the OS was still on)–> I’ve tried it again, this time waiting for the OS to turn off, and everything was ok.

2)I turned the camera off without waiting for the OS to turn off.

So, from my experience, it is an issue with the stabilization system compatibilty. We should tell Nikon to look into this. I’ve only got this issue a few times but I’m sure it can become most annoying!
Anyone got the same experience?

I’ve had a D300 for 3 months now and I got this issue only a few times. Every time this happened, I turned the camera off and back on again -> everything returned to normal.

When I had my 50mmf1.8 on all was ok, when I had my 18-200 VR all was OK, but when I put on the Sigma 18-200 OS I got this issue 3 times in, let’s say, 3 weeks time.

I also believe that it is related to the OS/VR (although it didn’t happen with the VR lens on). So, when the OS switch is turned on, the system starts functioning when you half-press the shutter button (and it starts making the awfull sound). It stops functioning a few seconds after you release the shutter button (making that sound again).

I got the battery issue on two ocasions:

1) I wanted to preview the picture the second after it was taken (the OS was still on)–> I’ve tried it again, this time waiting for the OS to turn off, and everything was ok.

2)I turned the camera off without waiting for the OS to turn off.

So, from my experience, it is an issue with the stabilization system compatibilty. We should tell Nikon to look into this. I’ve only got this issue a few times but I’m sure it can become most annoying!
Anyone got the same experience?

I am waiting for my Nikon D300 and have been reading comments all along. I stumbled across this site and see that there are quite a number of complaints regarding the Low Battery indicator. I have read a number of reports on the Nikonian Site and have found postings with the same issue. I hope I do not have to shim up my battery to prevent poor contact issues. I would expect that Nikon would address this issue. I hope I do not encounter any problems as I purchased mine from across the country not locally here in N. CA. I wonder if it might be wise to send it directly to Nikon if I have any issues? Fingers Crossed..

I am waiting for my Nikon D300 and have been reading comments all along. I stumbled across this site and see that there are quite a number of complaints regarding the Low Battery indicator. I have read a number of reports on the Nikonian Site and have found postings with the same issue. I hope I do not have to shim up my battery to prevent poor contact issues. I would expect that Nikon would address this issue. I hope I do not encounter any problems as I purchased mine from across the country not locally here in N. CA. I wonder if it might be wise to send it directly to Nikon if I have any issues? Fingers Crossed..

I have had this problem for some time with my D80 and Nikon 18-200. I use the turn off/turn on method to keep going. I don’t want to be without the camera for the 2-3 months that Nikon often seems to be taking to attempt a repair.

Nikon has lost all credibility with this. I’m thinking in terms of a class-action law suit and/or involving the consumer fraud section of the New York Attorney General’s Office.

It’s one thing for a company to have a problem with a product and not be able to figure out a solution as long as the company acknowledges the problem and establishes a prompt replacement procedure. It is quite another thing for a company to deny the problem exists and then deprive customers of their cameras for 2-3 months while the company does who-knows-what with them.

Nikon seems to be depending on the docile good nature of their loyal customers to make the problem go away. And so far, that seems to be working.

And I don’t buy the argument that Canon and other reputable companies do the same thing to their customers.

I have had this problem for some time with my D80 and Nikon 18-200. I use the turn off/turn on method to keep going. I don’t want to be without the camera for the 2-3 months that Nikon often seems to be taking to attempt a repair.

Nikon has lost all credibility with this. I’m thinking in terms of a class-action law suit and/or involving the consumer fraud section of the New York Attorney General’s Office.

It’s one thing for a company to have a problem with a product and not be able to figure out a solution as long as the company acknowledges the problem and establishes a prompt replacement procedure. It is quite another thing for a company to deny the problem exists and then deprive customers of their cameras for 2-3 months while the company does who-knows-what with them.

Nikon seems to be depending on the docile good nature of their loyal customers to make the problem go away. And so far, that seems to be working.

And I don’t buy the argument that Canon and other reputable companies do the same thing to their customers.

My D300 is currently waiting at the shop and will be picked up this weekend. Concerning the issues, I believe that there is a fault with the batteries as I have the low battery warning issue too BUT with only one of my batteries! – a quick knock on the side and it’s back in business (but would much rather it just worked correctly), I shoot sports, studio and low light (live music) and use mostly a 80-200 f2.8 AF-S with this I do get the occasional loss of contacts between the lens and body but this is rare and I think partly caused my my shooting style (applying a constant twisting force)

My D300 is currently waiting at the shop and will be picked up this weekend. Concerning the issues, I believe that there is a fault with the batteries as I have the low battery warning issue too BUT with only one of my batteries! – a quick knock on the side and it’s back in business (but would much rather it just worked correctly), I shoot sports, studio and low light (live music) and use mostly a 80-200 f2.8 AF-S with this I do get the occasional loss of contacts between the lens and body but this is rare and I think partly caused my my shooting style (applying a constant twisting force)

My D300 is currently waiting at the shop and will be picked up this weekend. Concerning the issues, I believe that there is a fault with the batteries as I have the low battery warning issue too BUT with only one of my batteries! – a quick knock on the side and it’s back in business (but would much rather it just worked correctly), I shoot sports, studio and low light (live music) and use mostly a 80-200 f2.8 AF-S with this I do get the occasional loss of contacts between the lens and body but this is rare and I think partly caused my my shooting style (applying a constant twisting force)

I keep reading about this issue and I must admit, it worries me. The problem is either real or a gigantic hoax. I know a lot of photographers in my area that have been using Nikons for years. Many of them started digital with the D100 and many of us have the D300, D200 and D3 now. I have not been able to find anyone locally that has had this problem. I have had my D300 since November 2007 and have not had any kind of problems with mine. I personally don’t go to any photographic event with only one camera and can’t understand how any serious photographer would. I have checked with several local Camera Stores and they have sold hundreds of D300s and have had problems with only a few. None were the DBS problem described here.

I keep reading about this issue and I must admit, it worries me. The problem is either real or a gigantic hoax. I know a lot of photographers in my area that have been using Nikons for years. Many of them started digital with the D100 and many of us have the D300, D200 and D3 now. I have not been able to find anyone locally that has had this problem. I have had my D300 since November 2007 and have not had any kind of problems with mine. I personally don’t go to any photographic event with only one camera and can’t understand how any serious photographer would. I have checked with several local Camera Stores and they have sold hundreds of D300s and have had problems with only a few. None were the DBS problem described here.

James, I can assure you it’s real, but thankfully seems to only affect a small minority of D300s. I consider myself a prosumer photographer and only carry one DSLR at a time because I need to stay mobile. Check out the other sites I linked to above, which are also filled with readers who’ve experienced this issue…it’s not a hoax.

James, I can assure you it’s real, but thankfully seems to only affect a small minority of D300s. I consider myself a prosumer photographer and only carry one DSLR at a time because I need to stay mobile. Check out the other sites I linked to above, which are also filled with readers who’ve experienced this issue…it’s not a hoax.

James, I can assure you it’s real, but thankfully seems to only affect a small minority of D300s. I consider myself a prosumer photographer and only carry one DSLR at a time because I need to stay mobile. Check out the other sites I linked to above, which are also filled with readers who’ve experienced this issue…it’s not a hoax.

I just bought my Nikon D300 and am having the same problems with the low battery issue. I am using the AF-S VR 70-200mm f2.8 lens with a 1.7X (Nikon) converter. After reading all of this, I have noted that my lens does not fit snugly and that if I am very careful (ha!) to not move the lens, I do not get the low battery issue. However, if the lens rotates at all, the camera shuts off. Argh! This NEVER happened with my D200 so it is an issue with the D300. I will be calling Nikon tomorrow.

I just bought my Nikon D300 and am having the same problems with the low battery issue. I am using the AF-S VR 70-200mm f2.8 lens with a 1.7X (Nikon) converter. After reading all of this, I have noted that my lens does not fit snugly and that if I am very careful (ha!) to not move the lens, I do not get the low battery issue. However, if the lens rotates at all, the camera shuts off. Argh! This NEVER happened with my D200 so it is an issue with the D300. I will be calling Nikon tomorrow.

I just bought my Nikon D300 and am having the same problems with the low battery issue. I am using the AF-S VR 70-200mm f2.8 lens with a 1.7X (Nikon) converter. After reading all of this, I have noted that my lens does not fit snugly and that if I am very careful (ha!) to not move the lens, I do not get the low battery issue. However, if the lens rotates at all, the camera shuts off. Argh! This NEVER happened with my D200 so it is an issue with the D300. I will be calling Nikon tomorrow.

I’m having similar problems and have contacted Nikon. Waiting to hear back.

I had the battery dead problem last week but also:

1. If using Sigma 180 macro, it feels loose on the mount and loses the contact with the body on a regular basis but can be rectified by twisting the lens or usually rectifies itself.

2. Using the 300 AFS lens with 1.7TC, no commms, no AF, not even hunting for focus lock, triangle and F6 appears, indicating the lens and body are not able to communicate.
TC is 1 week old, lens is used. Worked for 2 days, hasn’t since. Lens works fine on it’s own, works fine with Kenko 1.4TC.
1.7TC works when used with 70-200VR.

Not happy with nikon at the moment. A 1.7TC + 300 afs is only affordable way to get decent IQ and fast AF @ 500mm with Nikon.
I believe Canon has lots of alternatives in the affordable mid to long lens range !

I’m having similar problems and have contacted Nikon. Waiting to hear back.

I had the battery dead problem last week but also:

1. If using Sigma 180 macro, it feels loose on the mount and loses the contact with the body on a regular basis but can be rectified by twisting the lens or usually rectifies itself.

2. Using the 300 AFS lens with 1.7TC, no commms, no AF, not even hunting for focus lock, triangle and F6 appears, indicating the lens and body are not able to communicate.
TC is 1 week old, lens is used. Worked for 2 days, hasn’t since. Lens works fine on it’s own, works fine with Kenko 1.4TC.
1.7TC works when used with 70-200VR.

Not happy with nikon at the moment. A 1.7TC + 300 afs is only affordable way to get decent IQ and fast AF @ 500mm with Nikon.
I believe Canon has lots of alternatives in the affordable mid to long lens range !

I’m having similar problems and have contacted Nikon. Waiting to hear back.

I had the battery dead problem last week but also:

1. If using Sigma 180 macro, it feels loose on the mount and loses the contact with the body on a regular basis but can be rectified by twisting the lens or usually rectifies itself.

2. Using the 300 AFS lens with 1.7TC, no commms, no AF, not even hunting for focus lock, triangle and F6 appears, indicating the lens and body are not able to communicate.
TC is 1 week old, lens is used. Worked for 2 days, hasn’t since. Lens works fine on it’s own, works fine with Kenko 1.4TC.
1.7TC works when used with 70-200VR.

Not happy with nikon at the moment. A 1.7TC + 300 afs is only affordable way to get decent IQ and fast AF @ 500mm with Nikon.
I believe Canon has lots of alternatives in the affordable mid to long lens range !

I had this problem too on my D300. I took it to a local camera shop where I purchased the camera and the rep. told me that most likely it’s not the body, but the flash! I had an SB-600 that was about 7-9 years old. I purchased the SB-800 on the spot and haven’t had a problem since…(knocking on wood). I shot a wedding two weeks ago (shot over 900 frames) and still no problem. I have another wedding I’m shooting tomorrow, so let’s hope I’m still problem free!

I had this problem too on my D300. I took it to a local camera shop where I purchased the camera and the rep. told me that most likely it’s not the body, but the flash! I had an SB-600 that was about 7-9 years old. I purchased the SB-800 on the spot and haven’t had a problem since…(knocking on wood). I shot a wedding two weeks ago (shot over 900 frames) and still no problem. I have another wedding I’m shooting tomorrow, so let’s hope I’m still problem free!

Wow! I had no idea so many others are having this issue. I just got off the phone with Nikon regarding the same problem. I was shooting an event a week ago, when it first happened. I thought it may have been user error, since the camera was pretty new. I got off about 150 shots when the dead battery indicator came on and the camera stopped working. After reading the manuals, getting everything set up correctly, I decided to use it at a wedding this past weekend. First 136 shots were fine, then everything died. I have the grip, so there were 2 batteries and nothing would get the camera to work. When I checked the battery power in the menu, one was at 85%, the one in the grip still had 100% power. It did work when I tried it again, several hours later at the reception, but thank goodness for the D2X that was hanging on my shoulder when this problem happened. Nikon is not being very helpful at this point. They basically told me to do tests with different lenses, with and without flash, etc. I’m hoping the camera dealer I bought it from will replace it, since it’s less than 3 weeks old.

Wow! I had no idea so many others are having this issue. I just got off the phone with Nikon regarding the same problem. I was shooting an event a week ago, when it first happened. I thought it may have been user error, since the camera was pretty new. I got off about 150 shots when the dead battery indicator came on and the camera stopped working. After reading the manuals, getting everything set up correctly, I decided to use it at a wedding this past weekend. First 136 shots were fine, then everything died. I have the grip, so there were 2 batteries and nothing would get the camera to work. When I checked the battery power in the menu, one was at 85%, the one in the grip still had 100% power. It did work when I tried it again, several hours later at the reception, but thank goodness for the D2X that was hanging on my shoulder when this problem happened. Nikon is not being very helpful at this point. They basically told me to do tests with different lenses, with and without flash, etc. I’m hoping the camera dealer I bought it from will replace it, since it’s less than 3 weeks old.

Wow! I had no idea so many others are having this issue. I just got off the phone with Nikon regarding the same problem. I was shooting an event a week ago, when it first happened. I thought it may have been user error, since the camera was pretty new. I got off about 150 shots when the dead battery indicator came on and the camera stopped working. After reading the manuals, getting everything set up correctly, I decided to use it at a wedding this past weekend. First 136 shots were fine, then everything died. I have the grip, so there were 2 batteries and nothing would get the camera to work. When I checked the battery power in the menu, one was at 85%, the one in the grip still had 100% power. It did work when I tried it again, several hours later at the reception, but thank goodness for the D2X that was hanging on my shoulder when this problem happened. Nikon is not being very helpful at this point. They basically told me to do tests with different lenses, with and without flash, etc. I’m hoping the camera dealer I bought it from will replace it, since it’s less than 3 weeks old.

I`ve used Nikon for more than 20 years because of his quality reputation, but now I`ll reconsider this.
I bought a night mare Coolpix 5700, first dead flash coust me US$ 250,00 to fix, and after 3 months dead sensor no fixable !
So I bought a new D100 and 2 months after warranty expires and no more than 500 shots a have a vertical dead line in the midle of all pictures, diagnolstic : new sensor needed.
So my last option was to use a almost new N80 wich I have as a back-up… surprise ! The body rubber melted no way to use it, I`ve shot exactly 5 rolls of film with this camera.
All these problems hapened with a lot of consumers and the Nikons`s answer is always the same : “this is the first time this kind of problem is related”
I decided to forget all the cameras and buy a new one.
My choice was a D300, but after reading about this problem, I`m shure: NIkon never more !
By the way.. I`ve two Leicas very very used, one cheap Yashica FR-II with 28 years of use and a small Sony T-7, all then working fine as the fist day !
Ok quality is a common problem, don`t discuss that but try to foolish consumers with answers like “this is the first time it happens!” Sorry, no chance!

I`ve used Nikon for more than 20 years because of his quality reputation, but now I`ll reconsider this.
I bought a night mare Coolpix 5700, first dead flash coust me US$ 250,00 to fix, and after 3 months dead sensor no fixable !
So I bought a new D100 and 2 months after warranty expires and no more than 500 shots a have a vertical dead line in the midle of all pictures, diagnolstic : new sensor needed.
So my last option was to use a almost new N80 wich I have as a back-up… surprise ! The body rubber melted no way to use it, I`ve shot exactly 5 rolls of film with this camera.
All these problems hapened with a lot of consumers and the Nikons`s answer is always the same : “this is the first time this kind of problem is related”
I decided to forget all the cameras and buy a new one.
My choice was a D300, but after reading about this problem, I`m shure: NIkon never more !
By the way.. I`ve two Leicas very very used, one cheap Yashica FR-II with 28 years of use and a small Sony T-7, all then working fine as the fist day !
Ok quality is a common problem, don`t discuss that but try to foolish consumers with answers like “this is the first time it happens!” Sorry, no chance!

I`ve used Nikon for more than 20 years because of his quality reputation, but now I`ll reconsider this.
I bought a night mare Coolpix 5700, first dead flash coust me US$ 250,00 to fix, and after 3 months dead sensor no fixable !
So I bought a new D100 and 2 months after warranty expires and no more than 500 shots a have a vertical dead line in the midle of all pictures, diagnolstic : new sensor needed.
So my last option was to use a almost new N80 wich I have as a back-up… surprise ! The body rubber melted no way to use it, I`ve shot exactly 5 rolls of film with this camera.
All these problems hapened with a lot of consumers and the Nikons`s answer is always the same : “this is the first time this kind of problem is related”
I decided to forget all the cameras and buy a new one.
My choice was a D300, but after reading about this problem, I`m shure: NIkon never more !
By the way.. I`ve two Leicas very very used, one cheap Yashica FR-II with 28 years of use and a small Sony T-7, all then working fine as the fist day !
Ok quality is a common problem, don`t discuss that but try to foolish consumers with answers like “this is the first time it happens!” Sorry, no chance!

Hello, in digging further into this situation, and testing various batteries I discovered the D300 to be exceedingly picky, it would functional properly with 1500Ah or better, but show low battery on anything less. So that could possible be the problem. I have just ordered several 1800Ah batteries to test on the C300. I will let you know the results, but at this point, my recommendation would be to purchase a set of high capacity EN-EL3e batteries, as that might take care of your problems.

Hello, in digging further into this situation, and testing various batteries I discovered the D300 to be exceedingly picky, it would functional properly with 1500Ah or better, but show low battery on anything less. So that could possible be the problem. I have just ordered several 1800Ah batteries to test on the C300. I will let you know the results, but at this point, my recommendation would be to purchase a set of high capacity EN-EL3e batteries, as that might take care of your problems.

Hello, in digging further into this situation, and testing various batteries I discovered the D300 to be exceedingly picky, it would functional properly with 1500Ah or better, but show low battery on anything less. So that could possible be the problem. I have just ordered several 1800Ah batteries to test on the C300. I will let you know the results, but at this point, my recommendation would be to purchase a set of high capacity EN-EL3e batteries, as that might take care of your problems.

Hi, bad news in testing various batteries in the D300, only NIKON batteries seem to work, which is amazingly short sighted in my opinion. Nor do I understand why or how it knows whether you are using a Nikon battery or not, but in my camera it does!

Hi, bad news in testing various batteries in the D300, only NIKON batteries seem to work, which is amazingly short sighted in my opinion. Nor do I understand why or how it knows whether you are using a Nikon battery or not, but in my camera it does!

Hi, bad news in testing various batteries in the D300, only NIKON batteries seem to work, which is amazingly short sighted in my opinion. Nor do I understand why or how it knows whether you are using a Nikon battery or not, but in my camera it does!

I have a D200 and experienced the same issue yesterday with my recently-purchased 2.8 70-200 VR lens. Turning the camera off and on a few times did NOT fix the problem. I believe I had VR “on” in normal mode. I did not think to re-seat the lens but if it happens again I will do that.

Per suggestions at DPreview and Nikonians forums, I have cleaned the camera’s lens contacts thoroughly. I will keep my eye on this site and post any updated experiences. I sure hope Nikon does something about this, especially since it is obviously occurring on D200, D80 and D300.

I have a D200 and experienced the same issue yesterday with my recently-purchased 2.8 70-200 VR lens. Turning the camera off and on a few times did NOT fix the problem. I believe I had VR “on” in normal mode. I did not think to re-seat the lens but if it happens again I will do that.

Per suggestions at DPreview and Nikonians forums, I have cleaned the camera’s lens contacts thoroughly. I will keep my eye on this site and post any updated experiences. I sure hope Nikon does something about this, especially since it is obviously occurring on D200, D80 and D300.

I have a D200 and experienced the same issue yesterday with my recently-purchased 2.8 70-200 VR lens. Turning the camera off and on a few times did NOT fix the problem. I believe I had VR “on” in normal mode. I did not think to re-seat the lens but if it happens again I will do that.

Per suggestions at DPreview and Nikonians forums, I have cleaned the camera’s lens contacts thoroughly. I will keep my eye on this site and post any updated experiences. I sure hope Nikon does something about this, especially since it is obviously occurring on D200, D80 and D300.

Ok, so I wasn’t the only one with the problem. I was paranoid.. this problem really annoys me since I’ve missed many nice shot. Nikon should admit to this fault and and recall the faulty units! I’m living abroad now and haven’t brought my warranty card with me…. guess I’ll have to wait till I go back.

Ok, so I wasn’t the only one with the problem. I was paranoid.. this problem really annoys me since I’ve missed many nice shot. Nikon should admit to this fault and and recall the faulty units! I’m living abroad now and haven’t brought my warranty card with me…. guess I’ll have to wait till I go back.

Ok, so I wasn’t the only one with the problem. I was paranoid.. this problem really annoys me since I’ve missed many nice shot. Nikon should admit to this fault and and recall the faulty units! I’m living abroad now and haven’t brought my warranty card with me…. guess I’ll have to wait till I go back.

Wow… same problem on my D300 with the 70-200 VR Lens and the battery grip. I’ll take it back to Ritz tommorow. I have to turn the camera on and off after every couple of shots because it says low battery. I got an all black image yesterday.

The problem seems to be a little widespread for a two thousand dollar camera.

Wow… same problem on my D300 with the 70-200 VR Lens and the battery grip. I’ll take it back to Ritz tommorow. I have to turn the camera on and off after every couple of shots because it says low battery. I got an all black image yesterday.

The problem seems to be a little widespread for a two thousand dollar camera.

Wow… same problem on my D300 with the 70-200 VR Lens and the battery grip. I’ll take it back to Ritz tommorow. I have to turn the camera on and off after every couple of shots because it says low battery. I got an all black image yesterday.

The problem seems to be a little widespread for a two thousand dollar camera.

I am having the same battery problems with my D300. I use both the OEM internal camera battery along with the battery grip with rechargebale batts. The camera is set to use Grip batts first then internal batts. I have been using 18-200, 80-400, 50mm, 105 primes. The battery issues has happened with all lenses. Bought the camera in April and the problem has been happening more frequently. Guys, Gals it HAS TO BE THE BODY!!!! SHAME ON NIKON!!! Has anyone had any luck with Nikon Repair yet?

I am having the same battery problems with my D300. I use both the OEM internal camera battery along with the battery grip with rechargebale batts. The camera is set to use Grip batts first then internal batts. I have been using 18-200, 80-400, 50mm, 105 primes. The battery issues has happened with all lenses. Bought the camera in April and the problem has been happening more frequently. Guys, Gals it HAS TO BE THE BODY!!!! SHAME ON NIKON!!! Has anyone had any luck with Nikon Repair yet?

Wow, I see that I’m not the only user having an issue with the dead battery indicator.

My D300 had less than 2500 shutter releases when I first noticed the problem, I assumed that I had simply not allowed the battery to fully charge but immediately had the same results after another recharge.

I found myself constantly toggling the power switch off/on in order to capture images of a buffalo herd feeding past my vehicle in Custer State Park, SD on Thursday 6/19. During that episode I found that it only seemed to occur while using the 70-200 F/2.8 lens, no other lens I used seemed to cause the issue.

At home now in PA I recharged the D300 battery and my D70 battery to test whether the D300 body or the 70-200 F/2.8 is at fault. The D70 and 70-200 combo. experienced no issues at all. The D300 required about 15-20 shutter releases before the dead battery indication popped up.
I found that the issue seemed to be more prevalent when I’d capture an image and then swing the camera/lens combo.downward to view the results.
I’ve had the camera for about three months now and will be calling B&H for their advice on how to proceed from here.
I’m glad this didn’t happen during my older son’s wedding in Denver June 14.

Wow, I see that I’m not the only user having an issue with the dead battery indicator.

My D300 had less than 2500 shutter releases when I first noticed the problem, I assumed that I had simply not allowed the battery to fully charge but immediately had the same results after another recharge.

I found myself constantly toggling the power switch off/on in order to capture images of a buffalo herd feeding past my vehicle in Custer State Park, SD on Thursday 6/19. During that episode I found that it only seemed to occur while using the 70-200 F/2.8 lens, no other lens I used seemed to cause the issue.

At home now in PA I recharged the D300 battery and my D70 battery to test whether the D300 body or the 70-200 F/2.8 is at fault. The D70 and 70-200 combo. experienced no issues at all. The D300 required about 15-20 shutter releases before the dead battery indication popped up.
I found that the issue seemed to be more prevalent when I’d capture an image and then swing the camera/lens combo.downward to view the results.
I’ve had the camera for about three months now and will be calling B&H for their advice on how to proceed from here.
I’m glad this didn’t happen during my older son’s wedding in Denver June 14.

Wow, I see that I’m not the only user having an issue with the dead battery indicator.

My D300 had less than 2500 shutter releases when I first noticed the problem, I assumed that I had simply not allowed the battery to fully charge but immediately had the same results after another recharge.

I found myself constantly toggling the power switch off/on in order to capture images of a buffalo herd feeding past my vehicle in Custer State Park, SD on Thursday 6/19. During that episode I found that it only seemed to occur while using the 70-200 F/2.8 lens, no other lens I used seemed to cause the issue.

At home now in PA I recharged the D300 battery and my D70 battery to test whether the D300 body or the 70-200 F/2.8 is at fault. The D70 and 70-200 combo. experienced no issues at all. The D300 required about 15-20 shutter releases before the dead battery indication popped up.
I found that the issue seemed to be more prevalent when I’d capture an image and then swing the camera/lens combo.downward to view the results.
I’ve had the camera for about three months now and will be calling B&H for their advice on how to proceed from here.
I’m glad this didn’t happen during my older son’s wedding in Denver June 14.

My first D300 completely failed AF/exposure within 72 hours of getting it, and on the first day of a 3 day event that I was contracted to shoot. Same thing as the original poster’s pictures, above. And no warning. Changing lenses, batteries, memory cards, shooting modes, complete reset of the camera, cleaning contacts….all to no avail.

Nikon’s Tech support’s response was less than wonderful, and I had to rely on the old D70s backup to limp through the rest of the event. (The D70s shoots fine…but the differences with the D300 just outshines it).

Nikon theorized that the problem was failure of the AF motor.

Retailer immediately replaced the D300 with a new one. That camera had chugged along with no major issues…until today. Total failure again in the middle of an event. Thank goodness again, for the D70s.

I will be driving 120 miles roundtrip on Tuesday to take the camera to Nikon’s repair center. And I am assuming that I will drive another 120 miles once it is “fixed”.

BTW-my primary “workhorse” lens is an old 80-200mm 1:2.8 D series (which Nikon represents is compatible with the D300). But changing to a 50mm 1:1.8 (and other lenses) made no difference; both the old and now the “new” D300 continued to fail.

And all of the lenses continue to work flawlessly with the other bodies. And the 80-200 was just in for service, and needed cleaning only.

My first D300 completely failed AF/exposure within 72 hours of getting it, and on the first day of a 3 day event that I was contracted to shoot. Same thing as the original poster’s pictures, above. And no warning. Changing lenses, batteries, memory cards, shooting modes, complete reset of the camera, cleaning contacts….all to no avail.

Nikon’s Tech support’s response was less than wonderful, and I had to rely on the old D70s backup to limp through the rest of the event. (The D70s shoots fine…but the differences with the D300 just outshines it).

Nikon theorized that the problem was failure of the AF motor.

Retailer immediately replaced the D300 with a new one. That camera had chugged along with no major issues…until today. Total failure again in the middle of an event. Thank goodness again, for the D70s.

I will be driving 120 miles roundtrip on Tuesday to take the camera to Nikon’s repair center. And I am assuming that I will drive another 120 miles once it is “fixed”.

BTW-my primary “workhorse” lens is an old 80-200mm 1:2.8 D series (which Nikon represents is compatible with the D300). But changing to a 50mm 1:1.8 (and other lenses) made no difference; both the old and now the “new” D300 continued to fail.

And all of the lenses continue to work flawlessly with the other bodies. And the 80-200 was just in for service, and needed cleaning only.

My first D300 completely failed AF/exposure within 72 hours of getting it, and on the first day of a 3 day event that I was contracted to shoot. Same thing as the original poster’s pictures, above. And no warning. Changing lenses, batteries, memory cards, shooting modes, complete reset of the camera, cleaning contacts….all to no avail.

Nikon’s Tech support’s response was less than wonderful, and I had to rely on the old D70s backup to limp through the rest of the event. (The D70s shoots fine…but the differences with the D300 just outshines it).

Nikon theorized that the problem was failure of the AF motor.

Retailer immediately replaced the D300 with a new one. That camera had chugged along with no major issues…until today. Total failure again in the middle of an event. Thank goodness again, for the D70s.

I will be driving 120 miles roundtrip on Tuesday to take the camera to Nikon’s repair center. And I am assuming that I will drive another 120 miles once it is “fixed”.

BTW-my primary “workhorse” lens is an old 80-200mm 1:2.8 D series (which Nikon represents is compatible with the D300). But changing to a 50mm 1:1.8 (and other lenses) made no difference; both the old and now the “new” D300 continued to fail.

And all of the lenses continue to work flawlessly with the other bodies. And the 80-200 was just in for service, and needed cleaning only.

Nikon has now sold tens of thousands of D300 bodies. Wonder what percentage are seeing this problem?

The issue IS a contact problem between the mount and certain lenses. Certain lens and body combinations are more sensitive to poor contact. The poor contact manifests itself as a dead battery indication or AF problem.

The REAL solution is a new F-mount on the body and a new mount on the lens with tighter tolerences for a tighter fit. However, Nikon does not want to do this for the tens of thousands of cameras sold because it would be too costly.

It will be nice when they acknowledge this official with written word!

Nikon has now sold tens of thousands of D300 bodies. Wonder what percentage are seeing this problem?

The issue IS a contact problem between the mount and certain lenses. Certain lens and body combinations are more sensitive to poor contact. The poor contact manifests itself as a dead battery indication or AF problem.

The REAL solution is a new F-mount on the body and a new mount on the lens with tighter tolerences for a tighter fit. However, Nikon does not want to do this for the tens of thousands of cameras sold because it would be too costly.

It will be nice when they acknowledge this official with written word!

Nikon has now sold tens of thousands of D300 bodies. Wonder what percentage are seeing this problem?

The issue IS a contact problem between the mount and certain lenses. Certain lens and body combinations are more sensitive to poor contact. The poor contact manifests itself as a dead battery indication or AF problem.

The REAL solution is a new F-mount on the body and a new mount on the lens with tighter tolerences for a tighter fit. However, Nikon does not want to do this for the tens of thousands of cameras sold because it would be too costly.

It will be nice when they acknowledge this official with written word!

We shall see if the firware upgrade helps. From the sounds of it, it might. I hope it addresses the problem I have had concerning use of non-NIKON brand batteries. My D300 only works with Nikon batteries, which shocks me.

We shall see if the firware upgrade helps. From the sounds of it, it might. I hope it addresses the problem I have had concerning use of non-NIKON brand batteries. My D300 only works with Nikon batteries, which shocks me.

We shall see if the firware upgrade helps. From the sounds of it, it might. I hope it addresses the problem I have had concerning use of non-NIKON brand batteries. My D300 only works with Nikon batteries, which shocks me.

I am a professional ranch rodeo photographer and have successfully taken tens of thousands of beautiful photos with my D300 since February of this year ( http//www.buckaroocountry.com ) …..until this weekend in McDermitt, Nevada where I had the dreaded battery problem being discussed here. And a friend who had just gotten her brand new, hardly used Nikon D300 back from the repair shop for the same problem…hers still wouldn’t work either. Well this morning the local camera shop guy told me about cleaning the contacts on the lens and the matching points just inside the camera with the pencil eraser and now my camera seems to be working fine…and so does hers. Hummmmmmmmmm…..don’t know how long it will last but I’m definitely traveling with a box of pencils from now on. Just make sure you don’t drop any eraser remnants into the camera he advised.

I am a professional ranch rodeo photographer and have successfully taken tens of thousands of beautiful photos with my D300 since February of this year ( http//www.buckaroocountry.com ) …..until this weekend in McDermitt, Nevada where I had the dreaded battery problem being discussed here. And a friend who had just gotten her brand new, hardly used Nikon D300 back from the repair shop for the same problem…hers still wouldn’t work either. Well this morning the local camera shop guy told me about cleaning the contacts on the lens and the matching points just inside the camera with the pencil eraser and now my camera seems to be working fine…and so does hers. Hummmmmmmmmm…..don’t know how long it will last but I’m definitely traveling with a box of pencils from now on. Just make sure you don’t drop any eraser remnants into the camera he advised.

Mary- Glad to hear your D300 is at least operational, but I don’t think carrying around pencils to clean the contacts is a good long term solution 🙂 I strongly suggest visiting nikon.com and following their instructions to upgrade your D300 to the latest firmware v.1.03, which supposedly addresses the D300’s dead battery syndrome.

Mary- Glad to hear your D300 is at least operational, but I don’t think carrying around pencils to clean the contacts is a good long term solution 🙂 I strongly suggest visiting nikon.com and following their instructions to upgrade your D300 to the latest firmware v.1.03, which supposedly addresses the D300’s dead battery syndrome.

Mary- Glad to hear your D300 is at least operational, but I don’t think carrying around pencils to clean the contacts is a good long term solution 🙂 I strongly suggest visiting nikon.com and following their instructions to upgrade your D300 to the latest firmware v.1.03, which supposedly addresses the D300’s dead battery syndrome.

Xavier…..I just checked out the info on the firmware update and I will do it tonight…..I have two days of photography coming up this weekend.I wonder how a firmware update could correct a problem that is cured by cleaning the contacts???? Have you heard from anyone yet that the firmware update has actually solved the problem?

Xavier…..I just checked out the info on the firmware update and I will do it tonight…..I have two days of photography coming up this weekend.I wonder how a firmware update could correct a problem that is cured by cleaning the contacts???? Have you heard from anyone yet that the firmware update has actually solved the problem?

Xavier…..I just checked out the info on the firmware update and I will do it tonight…..I have two days of photography coming up this weekend.I wonder how a firmware update could correct a problem that is cured by cleaning the contacts???? Have you heard from anyone yet that the firmware update has actually solved the problem?

I have over 7000 shots with my D300.
This is the first real camera I have owned and have my fingers crossed she keeps working. I think I read Nikon expects 150,000 shots.
The only problem I have had is twice I took it out of my camera bag and my $1,300 lens fell off the camera and into my LAP!!!!!!!!. I don’t know what happened but if my lens dies I am done with photography. I am semi-retired and one thing I have learned over the years is to NEVER replace any part on anything that isn’t original equipment. I want an extra battery, “mine gets over 600 RAW images per charge”, so I have a choice of a $22 replacement or a $45 Nikon. Here are my real choices, do I skip one dinner out and buy the Nikon or do I put the $22 replacement in my $3,500 camera? I am done thinking, I hope this helps someone.

I have over 7000 shots with my D300.
This is the first real camera I have owned and have my fingers crossed she keeps working. I think I read Nikon expects 150,000 shots.
The only problem I have had is twice I took it out of my camera bag and my $1,300 lens fell off the camera and into my LAP!!!!!!!!. I don’t know what happened but if my lens dies I am done with photography. I am semi-retired and one thing I have learned over the years is to NEVER replace any part on anything that isn’t original equipment. I want an extra battery, “mine gets over 600 RAW images per charge”, so I have a choice of a $22 replacement or a $45 Nikon. Here are my real choices, do I skip one dinner out and buy the Nikon or do I put the $22 replacement in my $3,500 camera? I am done thinking, I hope this helps someone.

I have over 7000 shots with my D300.
This is the first real camera I have owned and have my fingers crossed she keeps working. I think I read Nikon expects 150,000 shots.
The only problem I have had is twice I took it out of my camera bag and my $1,300 lens fell off the camera and into my LAP!!!!!!!!. I don’t know what happened but if my lens dies I am done with photography. I am semi-retired and one thing I have learned over the years is to NEVER replace any part on anything that isn’t original equipment. I want an extra battery, “mine gets over 600 RAW images per charge”, so I have a choice of a $22 replacement or a $45 Nikon. Here are my real choices, do I skip one dinner out and buy the Nikon or do I put the $22 replacement in my $3,500 camera? I am done thinking, I hope this helps someone.

I purchase a D300 three weeks ago. I used it without incident for a three day shoot and then again this weekend for another big shoot. In the heat of the moment I changed from a 17-55 to my 70-200 VR forgetting to turn off the camera (first time in several years of dig photography). I was able to shoot for an hour and then I got the dead battery icon in the LCD screen. The control panel and battery info indicated (as I already knew) a fully charge 98% good battery. I remounted the lens (with the camera off 🙂 and it was good for another hour before the same thing happened. I switched back to the 17-55 and later to my 50mm and shot without incident. I haven’t used the 70-200 VR since the incident this weekend. I emailed Nikon service today and hope to get some info inthe next day or two. I don’t think it has anything to do with the 70-200 VR as I used that lens on my D200 for the past year without incident.

I purchase a D300 three weeks ago. I used it without incident for a three day shoot and then again this weekend for another big shoot. In the heat of the moment I changed from a 17-55 to my 70-200 VR forgetting to turn off the camera (first time in several years of dig photography). I was able to shoot for an hour and then I got the dead battery icon in the LCD screen. The control panel and battery info indicated (as I already knew) a fully charge 98% good battery. I remounted the lens (with the camera off 🙂 and it was good for another hour before the same thing happened. I switched back to the 17-55 and later to my 50mm and shot without incident. I haven’t used the 70-200 VR since the incident this weekend. I emailed Nikon service today and hope to get some info inthe next day or two. I don’t think it has anything to do with the 70-200 VR as I used that lens on my D200 for the past year without incident.

I purchase a D300 three weeks ago. I used it without incident for a three day shoot and then again this weekend for another big shoot. In the heat of the moment I changed from a 17-55 to my 70-200 VR forgetting to turn off the camera (first time in several years of dig photography). I was able to shoot for an hour and then I got the dead battery icon in the LCD screen. The control panel and battery info indicated (as I already knew) a fully charge 98% good battery. I remounted the lens (with the camera off 🙂 and it was good for another hour before the same thing happened. I switched back to the 17-55 and later to my 50mm and shot without incident. I haven’t used the 70-200 VR since the incident this weekend. I emailed Nikon service today and hope to get some info inthe next day or two. I don’t think it has anything to do with the 70-200 VR as I used that lens on my D200 for the past year without incident.

I just encountered the “dead” battery problem as well as the f/0 indication for the f stop reading. Like everyone else, it was while I was using the 70-200 VR lens. I read about the problem but hadn’t had the issue arise – probably because I was using it much with the 20-200 lens. Unfortunately it happened while I was shooting the final round of a PGA tournament and I just couldn’t rely on the camera for the last several holes. I had to keep switching lenses on my D3. I’m going to try the upgrade, but I have doubts about whether an firmware upgrade is going to correct a mechanical problem.

I just encountered the “dead” battery problem as well as the f/0 indication for the f stop reading. Like everyone else, it was while I was using the 70-200 VR lens. I read about the problem but hadn’t had the issue arise – probably because I was using it much with the 20-200 lens. Unfortunately it happened while I was shooting the final round of a PGA tournament and I just couldn’t rely on the camera for the last several holes. I had to keep switching lenses on my D3. I’m going to try the upgrade, but I have doubts about whether an firmware upgrade is going to correct a mechanical problem.

I recently bought a D300
I also have a D80 with two spare batteries – different generic makes
Being impatient to try the D300 I put a fully charged generic battery in it
It wouldn’t have it – display showed a discharged battery. repeat with other generic – same result

Charge up new Nikon battery, put in D300 – it works

I contacted Nikon who told me that:

There is a contact on genuine Nikon batteries that supplies battery information to the camera that allows it to determine that it is a genuine battery and allows it to work. Your battery does not have the information of a genuine battery and it will not work with the D300.

The D80 works fine with Nikon or generic batteries

Anyone ever heard of an electronic device that only worked with the manufacturer’s batteries???

I recently bought a D300
I also have a D80 with two spare batteries – different generic makes
Being impatient to try the D300 I put a fully charged generic battery in it
It wouldn’t have it – display showed a discharged battery. repeat with other generic – same result

Charge up new Nikon battery, put in D300 – it works

I contacted Nikon who told me that:

There is a contact on genuine Nikon batteries that supplies battery information to the camera that allows it to determine that it is a genuine battery and allows it to work. Your battery does not have the information of a genuine battery and it will not work with the D300.

The D80 works fine with Nikon or generic batteries

Anyone ever heard of an electronic device that only worked with the manufacturer’s batteries???

I recently bought a D300
I also have a D80 with two spare batteries – different generic makes
Being impatient to try the D300 I put a fully charged generic battery in it
It wouldn’t have it – display showed a discharged battery. repeat with other generic – same result

Charge up new Nikon battery, put in D300 – it works

I contacted Nikon who told me that:

There is a contact on genuine Nikon batteries that supplies battery information to the camera that allows it to determine that it is a genuine battery and allows it to work. Your battery does not have the information of a genuine battery and it will not work with the D300.

The D80 works fine with Nikon or generic batteries

Anyone ever heard of an electronic device that only worked with the manufacturer’s batteries???

I had a similar after market battery experience with my D300. I was anxious to have a second battery and bought a non-Nikon version at Circuit City. The package identified it as compatible with the D80 and D200 but did not list the D300. I thought it was because the camera was too new to be listed. I charged the battery fully but the camera would never power on with it. I would only get a flashing empty battery symbol. I returned it and bought a second Nikon brand EN-EL3e. This worked fine. It is entirely plausible that Nikon could embed an identifying chip in the batteries. Given the earlier melting EN-EL3 (non e version) problems and the recall, one could imagine that they may want camera owners to only use their batteries.

Now, after more than 20,000 exposures (I do some time lapse), my late 2007 D300 has suddenly developed the DBS (dead battery syndrome) described by so many users here and on other sites. As I said, I have two Nikon batteries and both behave the same (badly). Sometimes the problem happens when trying to playback a frame. It plays back for 1/2 second then the camera shuts off. I mostly use my Nikon 18-200 VR. I haven’t tried my other lenses since the problem began about two weeks ago.

Yesterday, my father lent me one of his EN-EL3e batteries from his D80 and I shot pictures while we inspected three World War II bombers. I shot 93 frames without a glitch on his battery. He shot a couple dozen frames with one of my batteries and had no problems. Now, with my own battery back in, I can’t recreate the trouble. Sitting here in my home office, I just shot 500 exposures without a problem. I tried different focal lengths, different focus, all different settings. I held the camera different ways, played images back, and nothing happens. I am not convinced that this is entirely a contact oxidation issue.

I noticed that the battery has three terminals labeled – S +. I also noticed that the middle contact inside the camera body offers the least amount of spring force compared to the + and – terminals on either side of it, and the tiny shiny point of contact on the battery is noticeably smaller than on the + and – terminals. Looking in the battery compartment with a high intensity LED flash light, I can also see that the center contact comes to a point while the power contacts on either side have flat, blunt ends. I put a small piece of tape over the center S terminal of a battery and put the battery in the camera. It behaved like the after market battery I bought 9 months ago; flashing dead battery symbol, won’t power on. Remove the tape and it works fine.

Hypothesis: 1. The center contact conveys important info about the nature of or the state of the battery condition. 2. This terminal uses less force to make contact, has a smaller mating surface and is therefore very possibly less reliable than the +/- terminals. 3. Various environmental and wear factors could make a very small, possibly marginal, contact become unreliable or intermittent. 4. Differing power draw conditions might affect the current flowing through the contact; I.E. flash on, flash off, focus motor, mirror, playback, etc. The power draw might be right on the ragged edge of what the compromised, contact can deliver at that instant. 5. Cleaning contacts on the battery or possibly lens might change the current draw conditions enough to alter the “perfect storm” of conditions and allow the camera to resume normal operation.

For my own personal circumstance, perhaps my father’s camera burnished a new shiny spot on the battery, or his battery cleaned the contact in my camera, and it could be working better now. This is just an hypothesis.

I’ll have to try my other battery again and see how it behaves. I don’t understand how they could both go bad at once. It seems it has to be common to the camera, not a battery.

I had a similar after market battery experience with my D300. I was anxious to have a second battery and bought a non-Nikon version at Circuit City. The package identified it as compatible with the D80 and D200 but did not list the D300. I thought it was because the camera was too new to be listed. I charged the battery fully but the camera would never power on with it. I would only get a flashing empty battery symbol. I returned it and bought a second Nikon brand EN-EL3e. This worked fine. It is entirely plausible that Nikon could embed an identifying chip in the batteries. Given the earlier melting EN-EL3 (non e version) problems and the recall, one could imagine that they may want camera owners to only use their batteries.

Now, after more than 20,000 exposures (I do some time lapse), my late 2007 D300 has suddenly developed the DBS (dead battery syndrome) described by so many users here and on other sites. As I said, I have two Nikon batteries and both behave the same (badly). Sometimes the problem happens when trying to playback a frame. It plays back for 1/2 second then the camera shuts off. I mostly use my Nikon 18-200 VR. I haven’t tried my other lenses since the problem began about two weeks ago.

Yesterday, my father lent me one of his EN-EL3e batteries from his D80 and I shot pictures while we inspected three World War II bombers. I shot 93 frames without a glitch on his battery. He shot a couple dozen frames with one of my batteries and had no problems. Now, with my own battery back in, I can’t recreate the trouble. Sitting here in my home office, I just shot 500 exposures without a problem. I tried different focal lengths, different focus, all different settings. I held the camera different ways, played images back, and nothing happens. I am not convinced that this is entirely a contact oxidation issue.

I noticed that the battery has three terminals labeled – S +. I also noticed that the middle contact inside the camera body offers the least amount of spring force compared to the + and – terminals on either side of it, and the tiny shiny point of contact on the battery is noticeably smaller than on the + and – terminals. Looking in the battery compartment with a high intensity LED flash light, I can also see that the center contact comes to a point while the power contacts on either side have flat, blunt ends. I put a small piece of tape over the center S terminal of a battery and put the battery in the camera. It behaved like the after market battery I bought 9 months ago; flashing dead battery symbol, won’t power on. Remove the tape and it works fine.

Hypothesis: 1. The center contact conveys important info about the nature of or the state of the battery condition. 2. This terminal uses less force to make contact, has a smaller mating surface and is therefore very possibly less reliable than the +/- terminals. 3. Various environmental and wear factors could make a very small, possibly marginal, contact become unreliable or intermittent. 4. Differing power draw conditions might affect the current flowing through the contact; I.E. flash on, flash off, focus motor, mirror, playback, etc. The power draw might be right on the ragged edge of what the compromised, contact can deliver at that instant. 5. Cleaning contacts on the battery or possibly lens might change the current draw conditions enough to alter the “perfect storm” of conditions and allow the camera to resume normal operation.

For my own personal circumstance, perhaps my father’s camera burnished a new shiny spot on the battery, or his battery cleaned the contact in my camera, and it could be working better now. This is just an hypothesis.

I’ll have to try my other battery again and see how it behaves. I don’t understand how they could both go bad at once. It seems it has to be common to the camera, not a battery.

I had a similar after market battery experience with my D300. I was anxious to have a second battery and bought a non-Nikon version at Circuit City. The package identified it as compatible with the D80 and D200 but did not list the D300. I thought it was because the camera was too new to be listed. I charged the battery fully but the camera would never power on with it. I would only get a flashing empty battery symbol. I returned it and bought a second Nikon brand EN-EL3e. This worked fine. It is entirely plausible that Nikon could embed an identifying chip in the batteries. Given the earlier melting EN-EL3 (non e version) problems and the recall, one could imagine that they may want camera owners to only use their batteries.

Now, after more than 20,000 exposures (I do some time lapse), my late 2007 D300 has suddenly developed the DBS (dead battery syndrome) described by so many users here and on other sites. As I said, I have two Nikon batteries and both behave the same (badly). Sometimes the problem happens when trying to playback a frame. It plays back for 1/2 second then the camera shuts off. I mostly use my Nikon 18-200 VR. I haven’t tried my other lenses since the problem began about two weeks ago.

Yesterday, my father lent me one of his EN-EL3e batteries from his D80 and I shot pictures while we inspected three World War II bombers. I shot 93 frames without a glitch on his battery. He shot a couple dozen frames with one of my batteries and had no problems. Now, with my own battery back in, I can’t recreate the trouble. Sitting here in my home office, I just shot 500 exposures without a problem. I tried different focal lengths, different focus, all different settings. I held the camera different ways, played images back, and nothing happens. I am not convinced that this is entirely a contact oxidation issue.

I noticed that the battery has three terminals labeled – S +. I also noticed that the middle contact inside the camera body offers the least amount of spring force compared to the + and – terminals on either side of it, and the tiny shiny point of contact on the battery is noticeably smaller than on the + and – terminals. Looking in the battery compartment with a high intensity LED flash light, I can also see that the center contact comes to a point while the power contacts on either side have flat, blunt ends. I put a small piece of tape over the center S terminal of a battery and put the battery in the camera. It behaved like the after market battery I bought 9 months ago; flashing dead battery symbol, won’t power on. Remove the tape and it works fine.

Hypothesis: 1. The center contact conveys important info about the nature of or the state of the battery condition. 2. This terminal uses less force to make contact, has a smaller mating surface and is therefore very possibly less reliable than the +/- terminals. 3. Various environmental and wear factors could make a very small, possibly marginal, contact become unreliable or intermittent. 4. Differing power draw conditions might affect the current flowing through the contact; I.E. flash on, flash off, focus motor, mirror, playback, etc. The power draw might be right on the ragged edge of what the compromised, contact can deliver at that instant. 5. Cleaning contacts on the battery or possibly lens might change the current draw conditions enough to alter the “perfect storm” of conditions and allow the camera to resume normal operation.

For my own personal circumstance, perhaps my father’s camera burnished a new shiny spot on the battery, or his battery cleaned the contact in my camera, and it could be working better now. This is just an hypothesis.

I’ll have to try my other battery again and see how it behaves. I don’t understand how they could both go bad at once. It seems it has to be common to the camera, not a battery.

Same dead batt issue. New D300. Old Nikkor lens that worked great on my D100 until it got splashed with water–D100 died. Put AF24-200mm on the D300–DBS. Put old AF micro105mm on and it works fine.?? Updated the firmware and the DBS changed to erratic, constant flashing of “ISO AUTO” and constant fluttering changes of aperature and exposure settings. With VR off is is only a little better.

Very disappointing to buy an expensive “professional grade” camera and have so many problems. Nikon has got problems. I am going to do Cannon now.

Same dead batt issue. New D300. Old Nikkor lens that worked great on my D100 until it got splashed with water–D100 died. Put AF24-200mm on the D300–DBS. Put old AF micro105mm on and it works fine.?? Updated the firmware and the DBS changed to erratic, constant flashing of “ISO AUTO” and constant fluttering changes of aperature and exposure settings. With VR off is is only a little better.

Very disappointing to buy an expensive “professional grade” camera and have so many problems. Nikon has got problems. I am going to do Cannon now.

Same dead batt issue. New D300. Old Nikkor lens that worked great on my D100 until it got splashed with water–D100 died. Put AF24-200mm on the D300–DBS. Put old AF micro105mm on and it works fine.?? Updated the firmware and the DBS changed to erratic, constant flashing of “ISO AUTO” and constant fluttering changes of aperature and exposure settings. With VR off is is only a little better.

Very disappointing to buy an expensive “professional grade” camera and have so many problems. Nikon has got problems. I am going to do Cannon now.

Hello fellow Nikonians…I just thought I would drop in and give my, hopefully useful” bit of information concerning this issue. I too have a new (5 months old) D300 and also just recently within a couple months experienced the same problem with the low battery, false reading…here is what I have noticed.

I started with three batteries, one is a REAL Nikon EN-EL3e, Li-ion, 7.4V, 1500mAh battery, the others are supposed “compatible” batteries with all the exact same numbers as the REAL battery made just for the D300. The NIKON battery is great, no issues what so ever. The others totally failed after a few months, and even though showing a complete charge, were dead in the camera. I, a few days ago, bought two more compatible batteries, all the exact numbers as before mentioned except for the mAh, one was 1800 and the other 2000. The 2000 works perfectly, the 1800 is totally dead even after fully charging it and its NEVER been used.

So, I went to Ritz camera here locally and spoke with them. One of their techs, named Nikon Joe as he is an expert with Nikon cameras spoke with me and said that from what he (they) have seen is that about 50% of “compatible batteries” will work in cameras, 50% will fail. He also said that the D300 has an issue with the battery meter reading on the circuit board from battery compartment to the body of the camera. Nikon is in denial even though they DO know about this issue but will not admit it until they have the final ultimate fix. If they didn’t wait, they would have an onslaught of angry D300 owners wanting a repair or replacement and they wouldn’t have a remedy for the problem, hence a major lawsuit would certainly follow…and yes I’d be right there too.

In closing, I bought another REAL Nikon battery and thusfar it has been perfect and worked great. The tech at Ritz Camera tested all six batteries and all of them, except the new one, tested at 7.4V, completely, fully charged. The new one off the shelf was depleted obviously, as its shipped that way. They reccomended that I use the new battery until its totally dead and then charge it. Also on that same note, when you put the battery on the charger and the light blinks on as charged, as soon as the light changes over from charging to charged its only at about 80%, they recommended leaving it on the charger for an additional hour or actually charge it over night for the best charge possible!

So…my experiment finals out at…

6 batteries bought new

4 compatibles…2-1500’s, 1-1800, and 1-2000

2 Nikon brand both 1500’s

3 out of 4 compatibles FAILED!!! (75% failure rate)

2 out of 2 Nikon Batteries PERFECT!!! (100% success rate)

Also, cleaning with DiOxIT did nothing to help, cleaning with pencil erasers did nothing to help, upgrading to 1.03 Firmware was useless and had no fix as I am now up to version 1.10 and 1.10 has all the fixes from 1.03 embedded within it, lenses make no difference at all I have four Nikon Nikkor lenses…

Hello fellow Nikonians…I just thought I would drop in and give my, hopefully useful” bit of information concerning this issue. I too have a new (5 months old) D300 and also just recently within a couple months experienced the same problem with the low battery, false reading…here is what I have noticed.

I started with three batteries, one is a REAL Nikon EN-EL3e, Li-ion, 7.4V, 1500mAh battery, the others are supposed “compatible” batteries with all the exact same numbers as the REAL battery made just for the D300. The NIKON battery is great, no issues what so ever. The others totally failed after a few months, and even though showing a complete charge, were dead in the camera. I, a few days ago, bought two more compatible batteries, all the exact numbers as before mentioned except for the mAh, one was 1800 and the other 2000. The 2000 works perfectly, the 1800 is totally dead even after fully charging it and its NEVER been used.

So, I went to Ritz camera here locally and spoke with them. One of their techs, named Nikon Joe as he is an expert with Nikon cameras spoke with me and said that from what he (they) have seen is that about 50% of “compatible batteries” will work in cameras, 50% will fail. He also said that the D300 has an issue with the battery meter reading on the circuit board from battery compartment to the body of the camera. Nikon is in denial even though they DO know about this issue but will not admit it until they have the final ultimate fix. If they didn’t wait, they would have an onslaught of angry D300 owners wanting a repair or replacement and they wouldn’t have a remedy for the problem, hence a major lawsuit would certainly follow…and yes I’d be right there too.

In closing, I bought another REAL Nikon battery and thusfar it has been perfect and worked great. The tech at Ritz Camera tested all six batteries and all of them, except the new one, tested at 7.4V, completely, fully charged. The new one off the shelf was depleted obviously, as its shipped that way. They reccomended that I use the new battery until its totally dead and then charge it. Also on that same note, when you put the battery on the charger and the light blinks on as charged, as soon as the light changes over from charging to charged its only at about 80%, they recommended leaving it on the charger for an additional hour or actually charge it over night for the best charge possible!

So…my experiment finals out at…

6 batteries bought new

4 compatibles…2-1500’s, 1-1800, and 1-2000

2 Nikon brand both 1500’s

3 out of 4 compatibles FAILED!!! (75% failure rate)

2 out of 2 Nikon Batteries PERFECT!!! (100% success rate)

Also, cleaning with DiOxIT did nothing to help, cleaning with pencil erasers did nothing to help, upgrading to 1.03 Firmware was useless and had no fix as I am now up to version 1.10 and 1.10 has all the fixes from 1.03 embedded within it, lenses make no difference at all I have four Nikon Nikkor lenses…

Hello fellow Nikonians…I just thought I would drop in and give my, hopefully useful” bit of information concerning this issue. I too have a new (5 months old) D300 and also just recently within a couple months experienced the same problem with the low battery, false reading…here is what I have noticed.

I started with three batteries, one is a REAL Nikon EN-EL3e, Li-ion, 7.4V, 1500mAh battery, the others are supposed “compatible” batteries with all the exact same numbers as the REAL battery made just for the D300. The NIKON battery is great, no issues what so ever. The others totally failed after a few months, and even though showing a complete charge, were dead in the camera. I, a few days ago, bought two more compatible batteries, all the exact numbers as before mentioned except for the mAh, one was 1800 and the other 2000. The 2000 works perfectly, the 1800 is totally dead even after fully charging it and its NEVER been used.

So, I went to Ritz camera here locally and spoke with them. One of their techs, named Nikon Joe as he is an expert with Nikon cameras spoke with me and said that from what he (they) have seen is that about 50% of “compatible batteries” will work in cameras, 50% will fail. He also said that the D300 has an issue with the battery meter reading on the circuit board from battery compartment to the body of the camera. Nikon is in denial even though they DO know about this issue but will not admit it until they have the final ultimate fix. If they didn’t wait, they would have an onslaught of angry D300 owners wanting a repair or replacement and they wouldn’t have a remedy for the problem, hence a major lawsuit would certainly follow…and yes I’d be right there too.

In closing, I bought another REAL Nikon battery and thusfar it has been perfect and worked great. The tech at Ritz Camera tested all six batteries and all of them, except the new one, tested at 7.4V, completely, fully charged. The new one off the shelf was depleted obviously, as its shipped that way. They reccomended that I use the new battery until its totally dead and then charge it. Also on that same note, when you put the battery on the charger and the light blinks on as charged, as soon as the light changes over from charging to charged its only at about 80%, they recommended leaving it on the charger for an additional hour or actually charge it over night for the best charge possible!

So…my experiment finals out at…

6 batteries bought new

4 compatibles…2-1500’s, 1-1800, and 1-2000

2 Nikon brand both 1500’s

3 out of 4 compatibles FAILED!!! (75% failure rate)

2 out of 2 Nikon Batteries PERFECT!!! (100% success rate)

Also, cleaning with DiOxIT did nothing to help, cleaning with pencil erasers did nothing to help, upgrading to 1.03 Firmware was useless and had no fix as I am now up to version 1.10 and 1.10 has all the fixes from 1.03 embedded within it, lenses make no difference at all I have four Nikon Nikkor lenses…

Hey Rich- My second Nikon D300 has been perfectly fine and the company’s since introduced a firmware update that seems to fix most of the battery issues for early adopters. Current stock shouldn’t have this issue and it should by no means scare you away from the D300.
Both Nikon and Canon make excellent DSLRs and I recommend going with whatever brand you’re already using so you can use some of your old lenses, flash,etc.

Hey Rich- My second Nikon D300 has been perfectly fine and the company’s since introduced a firmware update that seems to fix most of the battery issues for early adopters. Current stock shouldn’t have this issue and it should by no means scare you away from the D300.
Both Nikon and Canon make excellent DSLRs and I recommend going with whatever brand you’re already using so you can use some of your old lenses, flash,etc.

Hey Rich- My second Nikon D300 has been perfectly fine and the company’s since introduced a firmware update that seems to fix most of the battery issues for early adopters. Current stock shouldn’t have this issue and it should by no means scare you away from the D300.
Both Nikon and Canon make excellent DSLRs and I recommend going with whatever brand you’re already using so you can use some of your old lenses, flash,etc.

I was going to buy a D300 either tomorrow or the next day (after 2 weeks of research). Today I decided to do a search on problems encountered with the D300, and this DBS problem seems serious and bad. (Hopefully there aren’t other serious problems.) Thankfully, the rate of complaints, at this site, at least, has slowed down in recent weeks. Perhaps Nikon has beefed up the manufacturing. After reading every post, I’m not sure if the lenses ever had anything to do with the DBS. It seems that the main culprit might have been that a Nikon battery is required for use PLUS a less than optimum pin in the battery compartment that carries that information to the processor. The lens suspicion may have been misdirection…turning a camera upside down or sideways while moving the lens could unwittingly cause the battery to make better contact, giving the false impression that the lens was the source of the malfunction. Either that or there was/is a systemic multi-sourced problem causing DBS…which is hard to accept as true.

Now I’ll read some of the other boards on this problem, beginning with DPReview. What a nightmare.

I was going to buy a D300 either tomorrow or the next day (after 2 weeks of research). Today I decided to do a search on problems encountered with the D300, and this DBS problem seems serious and bad. (Hopefully there aren’t other serious problems.) Thankfully, the rate of complaints, at this site, at least, has slowed down in recent weeks. Perhaps Nikon has beefed up the manufacturing. After reading every post, I’m not sure if the lenses ever had anything to do with the DBS. It seems that the main culprit might have been that a Nikon battery is required for use PLUS a less than optimum pin in the battery compartment that carries that information to the processor. The lens suspicion may have been misdirection…turning a camera upside down or sideways while moving the lens could unwittingly cause the battery to make better contact, giving the false impression that the lens was the source of the malfunction. Either that or there was/is a systemic multi-sourced problem causing DBS…which is hard to accept as true.

Now I’ll read some of the other boards on this problem, beginning with DPReview. What a nightmare.

I was going to buy a D300 either tomorrow or the next day (after 2 weeks of research). Today I decided to do a search on problems encountered with the D300, and this DBS problem seems serious and bad. (Hopefully there aren’t other serious problems.) Thankfully, the rate of complaints, at this site, at least, has slowed down in recent weeks. Perhaps Nikon has beefed up the manufacturing. After reading every post, I’m not sure if the lenses ever had anything to do with the DBS. It seems that the main culprit might have been that a Nikon battery is required for use PLUS a less than optimum pin in the battery compartment that carries that information to the processor. The lens suspicion may have been misdirection…turning a camera upside down or sideways while moving the lens could unwittingly cause the battery to make better contact, giving the false impression that the lens was the source of the malfunction. Either that or there was/is a systemic multi-sourced problem causing DBS…which is hard to accept as true.

Now I’ll read some of the other boards on this problem, beginning with DPReview. What a nightmare.

Thanks for the suggestion- put an update near the top of this story. But I won’t be changing the title/header of this post. My first D300 was absolutely worthless due to this problem and as you can see many others had the same issue.

Thanks for the suggestion- put an update near the top of this story. But I won’t be changing the title/header of this post. My first D300 was absolutely worthless due to this problem and as you can see many others had the same issue.

Thanks for the suggestion- put an update near the top of this story. But I won’t be changing the title/header of this post. My first D300 was absolutely worthless due to this problem and as you can see many others had the same issue.

YES…the batteries DID fix it. ALL of my REAL NIKON brand batteries are working fine with no problems…the supposed compatible batteries are useless and have all the problems! I have since shot thousands of pictures with the new batteries and all have worked perfect!

So I guess the saying “you get what you pay for” is very true. It costs me more to get a the Nikon brand, but they work great, so….

YES…the batteries DID fix it. ALL of my REAL NIKON brand batteries are working fine with no problems…the supposed compatible batteries are useless and have all the problems! I have since shot thousands of pictures with the new batteries and all have worked perfect!

So I guess the saying “you get what you pay for” is very true. It costs me more to get a the Nikon brand, but they work great, so….

YES…the batteries DID fix it. ALL of my REAL NIKON brand batteries are working fine with no problems…the supposed compatible batteries are useless and have all the problems! I have since shot thousands of pictures with the new batteries and all have worked perfect!

So I guess the saying “you get what you pay for” is very true. It costs me more to get a the Nikon brand, but they work great, so….

I had the same problem with the dead battery issue. I shoot the D300 primarily with the 18-200 VR lens,but have a buddy who shoots the D300 with various lenses and is having the same problem. About a month ago after experiencing the problem, I read the posts above. I upgraded to 1.10 firmware and cleaned the contacts on all my nikon batteries, lenses and the ring on the D300. I have not had the problem since. Don’t know which remedy fixed it though. I am going to get my buddy’s D300 and do the cleaning only and see if it fixes his problem. I will keep ya’ll poste.

I had the same problem with the dead battery issue. I shoot the D300 primarily with the 18-200 VR lens,but have a buddy who shoots the D300 with various lenses and is having the same problem. About a month ago after experiencing the problem, I read the posts above. I upgraded to 1.10 firmware and cleaned the contacts on all my nikon batteries, lenses and the ring on the D300. I have not had the problem since. Don’t know which remedy fixed it though. I am going to get my buddy’s D300 and do the cleaning only and see if it fixes his problem. I will keep ya’ll poste.

I had the same problem with the dead battery issue. I shoot the D300 primarily with the 18-200 VR lens,but have a buddy who shoots the D300 with various lenses and is having the same problem. About a month ago after experiencing the problem, I read the posts above. I upgraded to 1.10 firmware and cleaned the contacts on all my nikon batteries, lenses and the ring on the D300. I have not had the problem since. Don’t know which remedy fixed it though. I am going to get my buddy’s D300 and do the cleaning only and see if it fixes his problem. I will keep ya’ll poste.

I also have a D300 with the low battery, as well as other, problems. Nikon’s only response to repeated emails has to recommend upgrading the firmware. I successfully did so with the A binary, but the camera crashed with the B binary and the MENU screen is now not working. Upgrading the firmware is not possible now.

As near as I can tell this problem has going on for over a year and Nikon has been extremely slow to reply or address this issue. I bought my camera in Aug 08 after reading D300 reviews and articles for pretty much all of the previous 6 months and the low battery problem never got much mention.

My suggestion to those that have D300 problems is to indicate so in product reviews and with whomever you bought the camera from. I left a 1-star (out of 5, can’t do a “0”) with Amazon, where I bought the camera. It was a simple, honest review indicating that I had problems from the very start. If enough people do this, maybe Nikon will notice and do something. Even if this problem is with a small number of cameras, the cost of the camera and the time invested justifies a buyer beware notice.

I also have a D300 with the low battery, as well as other, problems. Nikon’s only response to repeated emails has to recommend upgrading the firmware. I successfully did so with the A binary, but the camera crashed with the B binary and the MENU screen is now not working. Upgrading the firmware is not possible now.

As near as I can tell this problem has going on for over a year and Nikon has been extremely slow to reply or address this issue. I bought my camera in Aug 08 after reading D300 reviews and articles for pretty much all of the previous 6 months and the low battery problem never got much mention.

My suggestion to those that have D300 problems is to indicate so in product reviews and with whomever you bought the camera from. I left a 1-star (out of 5, can’t do a “0”) with Amazon, where I bought the camera. It was a simple, honest review indicating that I had problems from the very start. If enough people do this, maybe Nikon will notice and do something. Even if this problem is with a small number of cameras, the cost of the camera and the time invested justifies a buyer beware notice.

I also have a D300 with the low battery, as well as other, problems. Nikon’s only response to repeated emails has to recommend upgrading the firmware. I successfully did so with the A binary, but the camera crashed with the B binary and the MENU screen is now not working. Upgrading the firmware is not possible now.

As near as I can tell this problem has going on for over a year and Nikon has been extremely slow to reply or address this issue. I bought my camera in Aug 08 after reading D300 reviews and articles for pretty much all of the previous 6 months and the low battery problem never got much mention.

My suggestion to those that have D300 problems is to indicate so in product reviews and with whomever you bought the camera from. I left a 1-star (out of 5, can’t do a “0”) with Amazon, where I bought the camera. It was a simple, honest review indicating that I had problems from the very start. If enough people do this, maybe Nikon will notice and do something. Even if this problem is with a small number of cameras, the cost of the camera and the time invested justifies a buyer beware notice.

I have a D300 with the MB-D10 Grip and a VR 2.5 70-200 lens. I configured the D300 to use the MB-D10 battery first, but then suddenly it reported a low battery internally first, & then suddenly the BM-D10 battery showed empty. Thought the battery just ran down. When I looked a my last few pictures, I noticed a bright overexposed strip across the top 1/3 of my pictures. Thought it was just a hick-up, until I recharged and discover it was occuring all the time. Reset everything, changed to a VR F4 70M lens, no difference. I bought the camera 3 months ago, but have only used it for the past 6 weeks while I waited for my F2.8 lens. Support could tell me anything except send it in. Disappointing after years of using my D70.

I have a D300 with the MB-D10 Grip and a VR 2.5 70-200 lens. I configured the D300 to use the MB-D10 battery first, but then suddenly it reported a low battery internally first, & then suddenly the BM-D10 battery showed empty. Thought the battery just ran down. When I looked a my last few pictures, I noticed a bright overexposed strip across the top 1/3 of my pictures. Thought it was just a hick-up, until I recharged and discover it was occuring all the time. Reset everything, changed to a VR F4 70M lens, no difference. I bought the camera 3 months ago, but have only used it for the past 6 weeks while I waited for my F2.8 lens. Support could tell me anything except send it in. Disappointing after years of using my D70.

I have a D300 with the MB-D10 Grip and a VR 2.5 70-200 lens. I configured the D300 to use the MB-D10 battery first, but then suddenly it reported a low battery internally first, & then suddenly the BM-D10 battery showed empty. Thought the battery just ran down. When I looked a my last few pictures, I noticed a bright overexposed strip across the top 1/3 of my pictures. Thought it was just a hick-up, until I recharged and discover it was occuring all the time. Reset everything, changed to a VR F4 70M lens, no difference. I bought the camera 3 months ago, but have only used it for the past 6 weeks while I waited for my F2.8 lens. Support could tell me anything except send it in. Disappointing after years of using my D70.

Same problem – D300 worked fine until I got a new 70-200VR. Exactly the same error “F0” experiences. Sent both camera and lens back to Nikon – came back after 3 weeks with exact same problem. My theory – D300 body not strong or stiff enough to support the big lens. Stresses caused by lens and camera hanging from neck strap points cause body deformation after a 30 minutes of use – functionality restored by resting assembly on flat surface for 15 minutes!

I think the DBS got fixed by software updates but probably related to flexing of body also.

Same problem – D300 worked fine until I got a new 70-200VR. Exactly the same error “F0” experiences. Sent both camera and lens back to Nikon – came back after 3 weeks with exact same problem. My theory – D300 body not strong or stiff enough to support the big lens. Stresses caused by lens and camera hanging from neck strap points cause body deformation after a 30 minutes of use – functionality restored by resting assembly on flat surface for 15 minutes!

I think the DBS got fixed by software updates but probably related to flexing of body also.

Same problem – D300 worked fine until I got a new 70-200VR. Exactly the same error “F0” experiences. Sent both camera and lens back to Nikon – came back after 3 weeks with exact same problem. My theory – D300 body not strong or stiff enough to support the big lens. Stresses caused by lens and camera hanging from neck strap points cause body deformation after a 30 minutes of use – functionality restored by resting assembly on flat surface for 15 minutes!

I think the DBS got fixed by software updates but probably related to flexing of body also.

I purchased a new D300 body recently. I also purchased a second battery “Aftermarket Brand” The packaging and salesman stated that this brand battery could be used with all D50, D70, D70s, D80, D100, D200 and D300. When the original Nikon battery that came with it was getting low I charged the new aftermarket one. When I put it in the D300 It simply showed it as dead. Wouldnâ€™t fire up. I tried putting it back in the charger and it instantly stopped charging. I then tried that battery in my old D70s. It shows full and works in that camera. Circuit City is now going out of business and wonâ€™t let me return the battery. I read somewhere that there may be some special circuitry in Nikon Genuine EN-EL3e Batteries that the D300 camera looks for. IF I HAD TO GUESS, That’s where to look for the main cause of this problem. Weather itâ€™s in the battery circuit or the bodies reader. Nikons way of making you buy their battery only!!! I just hope I didnâ€™t make a mistake with this purchase. It was more than I could afford in the first place.

I purchased a new D300 body recently. I also purchased a second battery “Aftermarket Brand” The packaging and salesman stated that this brand battery could be used with all D50, D70, D70s, D80, D100, D200 and D300. When the original Nikon battery that came with it was getting low I charged the new aftermarket one. When I put it in the D300 It simply showed it as dead. Wouldnâ€™t fire up. I tried putting it back in the charger and it instantly stopped charging. I then tried that battery in my old D70s. It shows full and works in that camera. Circuit City is now going out of business and wonâ€™t let me return the battery. I read somewhere that there may be some special circuitry in Nikon Genuine EN-EL3e Batteries that the D300 camera looks for. IF I HAD TO GUESS, That’s where to look for the main cause of this problem. Weather itâ€™s in the battery circuit or the bodies reader. Nikons way of making you buy their battery only!!! I just hope I didnâ€™t make a mistake with this purchase. It was more than I could afford in the first place.

No, it isn’t the battery. I use only the most current Nikon batteries. I have not used any of the lenses mentioned, just a Nikon 18-70 (no VR) and a 50mm 1.8. Mine just stopped working. Completely. Out under a sunny Colorado sky. It is less than a month old, but the date showed as 2007 until I set it, so it must be one of the old ones that hasn’t had a firmware update. It’s going back to Nikon on Monday. Waah! I’m going to miss it, but my D80 still works.

No, it isn’t the battery. I use only the most current Nikon batteries. I have not used any of the lenses mentioned, just a Nikon 18-70 (no VR) and a 50mm 1.8. Mine just stopped working. Completely. Out under a sunny Colorado sky. It is less than a month old, but the date showed as 2007 until I set it, so it must be one of the old ones that hasn’t had a firmware update. It’s going back to Nikon on Monday. Waah! I’m going to miss it, but my D80 still works.

I purchased a new D300 body recently. I also purchased a second battery “Aftermarket Brand” The packaging and salesman stated that this brand battery could be used with all D50, D70, D70s, D80, D100, D200 and D300. When the original Nikon battery that came with it was getting low I charged the new aftermarket one. When I put it in the D300 It simply showed it as dead. Wouldnâ€™t fire up. I tried putting it back in the charger and it instantly stopped charging. I then tried that battery in my old D70s. It shows full and works in that camera. Circuit City is now going out of business and wonâ€™t let me return the battery. I read somewhere that there may be some special circuitry in Nikon Genuine EN-EL3e Batteries that the D300 camera looks for. IF I HAD TO GUESS, That’s where to look for the main cause of this problem. Weather itâ€™s in the battery circuit or the bodies reader. Nikons way of making you buy their battery only!!! I just hope I didnâ€™t make a mistake with this purchase. It was more than I could afford in the first place.

No, it isn’t the battery. I use only the most current Nikon batteries. I have not used any of the lenses mentioned, just a Nikon 18-70 (no VR) and a 50mm 1.8. Mine just stopped working. Completely. Out under a sunny Colorado sky. It is less than a month old, but the date showed as 2007 until I set it, so it must be one of the old ones that hasn’t had a firmware update. It’s going back to Nikon on Monday. Waah! I’m going to miss it, but my D80 still works.

I hear you. I’ve had a D300 since last summer. I had a D200 before that that had he dreaded DBS (dead battery syndrome). Apparently it was a design glitch in the 200 that rolled over to the 300. Myriad complaints caused Nikon to issue a firmware fix (that came with other electo-doo-dads too) that seems to solve 99% of the issue. But I hear you. Even if turning the cam on and off cures the problem, if you’ve covering NASCAR at Watkins Glen, nailing a car doing over 100 mph, when you’re confronted with a false ‘no-juice’ warning, turning off the cam and turning it on means missed shots….you know, the one the competition got…and the reason your editor will hire him/her and not you next time.

I hear you. I’ve had a D300 since last summer. I had a D200 before that that had he dreaded DBS (dead battery syndrome). Apparently it was a design glitch in the 200 that rolled over to the 300. Myriad complaints caused Nikon to issue a firmware fix (that came with other electo-doo-dads too) that seems to solve 99% of the issue. But I hear you. Even if turning the cam on and off cures the problem, if you’ve covering NASCAR at Watkins Glen, nailing a car doing over 100 mph, when you’re confronted with a false ‘no-juice’ warning, turning off the cam and turning it on means missed shots….you know, the one the competition got…and the reason your editor will hire him/her and not you next time.

I hear you. I’ve had a D300 since last summer. I had a D200 before that that had he dreaded DBS (dead battery syndrome). Apparently it was a design glitch in the 200 that rolled over to the 300. Myriad complaints caused Nikon to issue a firmware fix (that came with other electo-doo-dads too) that seems to solve 99% of the issue. But I hear you. Even if turning the cam on and off cures the problem, if you’ve covering NASCAR at Watkins Glen, nailing a car doing over 100 mph, when you’re confronted with a false ‘no-juice’ warning, turning off the cam and turning it on means missed shots….you know, the one the competition got…and the reason your editor will hire him/her and not you next time.

I read your review of the D300. I have about 40 years photo experience, about 25 of it with nikon equipment.

First, the D300 is not a “professional” nikon camera; it is what the industry calls a “prosumer” camera, i.e., an amateur camera with some professional specifications. Nikon does not warranty its pro cameras like it does their prosumer models.

The D300 (and the D200) were plagued with the Dead Battery Syndrome (DBS) until Nikon issued a firmware fix; now I think the problem is gone.

Lastly, because of the nature of the beast, you should expect to use a digital SLR for years; they are practically disposable so, unless you’re a working pro, consider that digital technology moves in leaps such that a 2 year old DSLR is no where near up to “standard.” Buy cheap and change bodies often if you want to stay on the crest of digital technology

I read your review of the D300. I have about 40 years photo experience, about 25 of it with nikon equipment.

First, the D300 is not a “professional” nikon camera; it is what the industry calls a “prosumer” camera, i.e., an amateur camera with some professional specifications. Nikon does not warranty its pro cameras like it does their prosumer models.

The D300 (and the D200) were plagued with the Dead Battery Syndrome (DBS) until Nikon issued a firmware fix; now I think the problem is gone.

Lastly, because of the nature of the beast, you should expect to use a digital SLR for years; they are practically disposable so, unless you’re a working pro, consider that digital technology moves in leaps such that a 2 year old DSLR is no where near up to “standard.” Buy cheap and change bodies often if you want to stay on the crest of digital technology

Keith, Nikon clearly markets the D300 to professionals. I know it’s not the absolute top of the line Nikon you can buy, but Nikon’s own site reads “The D300 is a Pro-level D-SLR…”

I’ve seen many pro journalists and event photogs carrying the D300. I don’t understand your argument here- are you saying its acceptable to have DBS because the D300 is a ‘prosumer’ body by industry standards? This isn’t a warranty issue, this is a quality control issue.

As I mentioned above, my new D300 doesn’t have this problem, but in my mind Nikon didn’t move fast enough in addressing the issue. A lot of us early adopters were stuck with $1800 bodies that didn’t work and Nikon wasn’t doing anything to help.

Thankfully, most D300 users have been able to solve this issue by now, but every now and then I hear D300 owners complaining about DBS.

Keith, Nikon clearly markets the D300 to professionals. I know it’s not the absolute top of the line Nikon you can buy, but Nikon’s own site reads “The D300 is a Pro-level D-SLR…”

I’ve seen many pro journalists and event photogs carrying the D300. I don’t understand your argument here- are you saying its acceptable to have DBS because the D300 is a ‘prosumer’ body by industry standards? This isn’t a warranty issue, this is a quality control issue.

As I mentioned above, my new D300 doesn’t have this problem, but in my mind Nikon didn’t move fast enough in addressing the issue. A lot of us early adopters were stuck with $1800 bodies that didn’t work and Nikon wasn’t doing anything to help.

Thankfully, most D300 users have been able to solve this issue by now, but every now and then I hear D300 owners complaining about DBS.

I read your review of the D300. I have about 40 years photo experience, about 25 of it with nikon equipment.

First, the D300 is not a “professional” nikon camera; it is what the industry calls a “prosumer” camera, i.e., an amateur camera with some professional specifications. Nikon does not warranty its pro cameras like it does their prosumer models.

The D300 (and the D200) were plagued with the Dead Battery Syndrome (DBS) until Nikon issued a firmware fix; now I think the problem is gone.

Lastly, because of the nature of the beast, you should expect to use a digital SLR for years; they are practically disposable so, unless you’re a working pro, consider that digital technology moves in leaps such that a 2 year old DSLR is no where near up to “standard.” Buy cheap and change bodies often if you want to stay on the crest of digital technology

Keith, Nikon clearly markets the D300 to professionals. I know it’s not the absolute top of the line Nikon you can buy, but Nikon’s own site reads “The D300 is a Pro-level D-SLR…”

I’ve seen many pro journalists and event photogs carrying the D300. I don’t understand your argument here- are you saying its acceptable to have DBS because the D300 is a ‘prosumer’ body by industry standards? This isn’t a warranty issue, this is a quality control issue.

As I mentioned above, my new D300 doesn’t have this problem, but in my mind Nikon didn’t move fast enough in addressing the issue. A lot of us early adopters were stuck with $1800 bodies that didn’t work and Nikon wasn’t doing anything to help.

Thankfully, most D300 users have been able to solve this issue by now, but every now and then I hear D300 owners complaining about DBS.

I have about 4 decades experience in photography and a couple using nikons. I wouldn’t say i’m an expert, but I’ve around the block.

first, you got it all wrong investing $3,000 in digital equipment that you “…plan to use for years.” digital cameras, no matter how much they cost are simply computers on which one can mount a lens. I don’t think you’d buy a computer that you plan to ‘…use for years.’ because you know that computer technology moves so fast that “years” down the road you’d have a cyber dinosaur that probably couldn’t even run a lot of common software. Realistically, if you want a digital SLR that is even in the same ballpark as a “modern” DSLR, you better have a two to two-and a half year body life in mind. The D200 came out around christmas of 2005; relative amateurs would think a D200 is near state of the art; if you shoot seriously, you’d consider a D200 a decent machine, OK for backup in a pinch, but “state of the art”? only if you consider high button shoes state of the art in shoes.

Now, onto your false dead battery problem. It’s addressed by a “firmware” upgrade. Updating the firmware is a snap, takes about 5 mins once you start the process and your D300 actually gets a few improvements for your time investment, in addition to being relieved of the false dead battery issue.

Keep in mind, the cost of equipment in serious photography does not translate into “quality” and “glitches” among relative new DSLR models is actually pretty common.

A tip? log onto http://www.nikonians.org. It’s a worldwide Nikon club, with about 10,000 members around the world. The “forums” there–there is one for the D100/200/300–has a treasure trove of information. Relative newbies will get more info than they can even use (probably) but some nikonians members make my 40 years experience look like a rank neophyte. Said another way, if you want to know anything about Nikons from “everyone knows about that” (your dead batterey reading would come under that category) to the most arcane, super specialized information. There’s forums on computers and digital photography, travel, weddings, etc. In short…you got a nikon….use need to be a Nikonian.

I have about 4 decades experience in photography and a couple using nikons. I wouldn’t say i’m an expert, but I’ve around the block.

first, you got it all wrong investing $3,000 in digital equipment that you “…plan to use for years.” digital cameras, no matter how much they cost are simply computers on which one can mount a lens. I don’t think you’d buy a computer that you plan to ‘…use for years.’ because you know that computer technology moves so fast that “years” down the road you’d have a cyber dinosaur that probably couldn’t even run a lot of common software. Realistically, if you want a digital SLR that is even in the same ballpark as a “modern” DSLR, you better have a two to two-and a half year body life in mind. The D200 came out around christmas of 2005; relative amateurs would think a D200 is near state of the art; if you shoot seriously, you’d consider a D200 a decent machine, OK for backup in a pinch, but “state of the art”? only if you consider high button shoes state of the art in shoes.

Now, onto your false dead battery problem. It’s addressed by a “firmware” upgrade. Updating the firmware is a snap, takes about 5 mins once you start the process and your D300 actually gets a few improvements for your time investment, in addition to being relieved of the false dead battery issue.

Keep in mind, the cost of equipment in serious photography does not translate into “quality” and “glitches” among relative new DSLR models is actually pretty common.

A tip? log onto http://www.nikonians.org. It’s a worldwide Nikon club, with about 10,000 members around the world. The “forums” there–there is one for the D100/200/300–has a treasure trove of information. Relative newbies will get more info than they can even use (probably) but some nikonians members make my 40 years experience look like a rank neophyte. Said another way, if you want to know anything about Nikons from “everyone knows about that” (your dead batterey reading would come under that category) to the most arcane, super specialized information. There’s forums on computers and digital photography, travel, weddings, etc. In short…you got a nikon….use need to be a Nikonian.

K.D. Appreciate your feedback- I’ve been using Nikons for quite some time as well. And planned to use the D300 for about 3 years (half way through that already). This is far from my first SLR.

I hope you understand that this article was published in January of 2008, way before the firmware update was available. If you read through the articles, you’ll see that I do read some of the Nikon forums, and linked to some of them.

In January of 2008, there weren’t any decent solutions for the Nikon D300’s dead battery syndrome.

There’s always going to be a better camera/computer/gadget around the corner, but I expect expensive products to at least function out of the box. The way that Nikon handled this problem was inexcusable.

LOL…’inexcusable’? Nikon (IMHO) has been catering to the coolpix crowd (they seem to have a new model every week) and have been leaving their pros and advanced amateurs out to dry. The D200 also experienced DBS but THAT ‘fix it’ firmware actually came out after the D300 fix. I had a D200 and DBS was actually what made me trash it for D300. My 300 never had DBS, but i upfirmed it as soon as 1.03 came out so….

LOL…’inexcusable’? Nikon (IMHO) has been catering to the coolpix crowd (they seem to have a new model every week) and have been leaving their pros and advanced amateurs out to dry. The D200 also experienced DBS but THAT ‘fix it’ firmware actually came out after the D300 fix. I had a D200 and DBS was actually what made me trash it for D300. My 300 never had DBS, but i upfirmed it as soon as 1.03 came out so….

K.D. Appreciate your feedback- I’ve been using Nikons for quite some time as well. And planned to use the D300 for about 3 years (half way through that already). This is far from my first SLR.

I hope you understand that this article was published in January of 2008, way before the firmware update was available. If you read through the articles, you’ll see that I do read some of the Nikon forums, and linked to some of them.

In January of 2008, there weren’t any decent solutions for the Nikon D300’s dead battery syndrome.

There’s always going to be a better camera/computer/gadget around the corner, but I expect expensive products to at least function out of the box. The way that Nikon handled this problem was inexcusable.

I have about 4 decades experience in photography and a couple using nikons. I wouldn’t say i’m an expert, but I’ve around the block.

first, you got it all wrong investing $3,000 in digital equipment that you “…plan to use for years.” digital cameras, no matter how much they cost are simply computers on which one can mount a lens. I don’t think you’d buy a computer that you plan to ‘…use for years.’ because you know that computer technology moves so fast that “years” down the road you’d have a cyber dinosaur that probably couldn’t even run a lot of common software. Realistically, if you want a digital SLR that is even in the same ballpark as a “modern” DSLR, you better have a two to two-and a half year body life in mind. The D200 came out around christmas of 2005; relative amateurs would think a D200 is near state of the art; if you shoot seriously, you’d consider a D200 a decent machine, OK for backup in a pinch, but “state of the art”? only if you consider high button shoes state of the art in shoes.

Now, onto your false dead battery problem. It’s addressed by a “firmware” upgrade. Updating the firmware is a snap, takes about 5 mins once you start the process and your D300 actually gets a few improvements for your time investment, in addition to being relieved of the false dead battery issue.

Keep in mind, the cost of equipment in serious photography does not translate into “quality” and “glitches” among relative new DSLR models is actually pretty common.

A tip? log onto http://www.nikonians.org. It’s a worldwide Nikon club, with about 10,000 members around the world. The “forums” there–there is one for the D100/200/300–has a treasure trove of information. Relative newbies will get more info than they can even use (probably) but some nikonians members make my 40 years experience look like a rank neophyte. Said another way, if you want to know anything about Nikons from “everyone knows about that” (your dead batterey reading would come under that category) to the most arcane, super specialized information. There’s forums on computers and digital photography, travel, weddings, etc. In short…you got a nikon….use need to be a Nikonian.

K.D. Appreciate your feedback- I’ve been using Nikons for quite some time as well. And planned to use the D300 for about 3 years (half way through that already). This is far from my first SLR.

I hope you understand that this article was published in January of 2008, way before the firmware update was available. If you read through the articles, you’ll see that I do read some of the Nikon forums, and linked to some of them.

In January of 2008, there weren’t any decent solutions for the Nikon D300’s dead battery syndrome.

There’s always going to be a better camera/computer/gadget around the corner, but I expect expensive products to at least function out of the box. The way that Nikon handled this problem was inexcusable.

LOL…’inexcusable’? Nikon (IMHO) has been catering to the coolpix crowd (they seem to have a new model every week) and have been leaving their pros and advanced amateurs out to dry. The D200 also experienced DBS but THAT ‘fix it’ firmware actually came out after the D300 fix. I had a D200 and DBS was actually what made me trash it for D300. My 300 never had DBS, but i upfirmed it as soon as 1.03 came out so….

Yes, mine died, completely, after less than a month. I sent it back to the company and they fixed it. No big deal. One reason to buy Nikon is the customer support. I have it back. It works. I’m happy. Wonderful camera. They just keep getting better.

Yes, mine died, completely, after less than a month. I sent it back to the company and they fixed it. No big deal. One reason to buy Nikon is the customer support. I have it back. It works. I’m happy. Wonderful camera. They just keep getting better.

Actually a pro or prosumer (the D300 is a prosumer model) shouldn’t have had the issue at all and I am sure that Nikon is embarrassed. Had this problem been among their true pro cameras, i.e., the D3/3x, the issue would have been beyond embarrassing because hi end pro photographers simply cannot afford to be saddled with a model with design ‘glitches.’ Among pros, word spreads like wildfire, so Nikon’s “rep” would have been severely damaged. Both the D200 and the D300 have had what some folks call DBS–Dead Battery Syndrome–and “word around the campfire” seems to indicate at a firmware upgrade (about a 5 min procedure your 8 year old could do) solves the problem.

I have finally read all the post from top to bottom. Now, my D300 have not had the DBS problem. But I can understand what Xavier is saying. (1) This original article was posted in January 2008, so it is a fair reflection of the DBS at that point of time. (2) The way Nikon handled the problem by denying the problem at first, but later released the firmware upgrade after a considerable delay. I think they should have addressed the problem since they already knew it from D200. How do Nikon plan to sustain the loyalty of its supporter if the cameras are failing half way when a wedding/conference is going on? The D300 cost much more than coolpix, and I think that is enough reason to justify that a DSLR should be much more reliable than normal digicam.

I agree with K.D Smith that the DSLR e.g. D300 only has a limited life span, such that they become obsolete after a few years. As I also owned the D3, I know that is reliable. But it does not mean that buying a D300 would entitle the manufacturer to be less careful with quality control. If the problem today was the LCD screen not bright enough or the self-cleaning dust mechanism not efficient, I think I can forgive that because the camera can still perform its function â€“ which is to take a photo. But a DBS problem goes to the core of reliability and shooting the pictures at the crucial moment, and I would be asking for serious compensation from Nikon if I had the same problem. Unfortunately, we lived in the real world, so compensation may be out of the question. Well, I guess the result from all of this is people switching to other brands after reading as indicated by some posts above.

You said the following and i repeat it here for those who think a D300 is a “professional” camera:

“…and I would be asking for serious compensation from Nikon if I had the same problem.”

Nikon warranties is professional machines differently than its amateur models. Essentially it has to do with expectations a professional would have from equipment sold to him/her by a manufacturer explicitly claiming the equipment is for “professional” use. Without going into detail, you would have little more recourse if your D300 ‘flubbed up’ than you would if a Coolpix did the same thing because they have, essentially, the same warranty.

None of this suggests that a ‘pro’ shouldn’t use a D300 as a main machine (more likely as a back up because the D3x certainly has more capabilities), but it does illustrate that 1) using what you think is a ‘pro’ camera does not shield you from some of the manufacturing ‘glitches’ point-and-shoot users have to deal with and 2)using certain kinds of equipment, per se, does not elevate your work to ‘pro’ levels.

You said the following and i repeat it here for those who think a D300 is a “professional” camera:

“…and I would be asking for serious compensation from Nikon if I had the same problem.”

Nikon warranties is professional machines differently than its amateur models. Essentially it has to do with expectations a professional would have from equipment sold to him/her by a manufacturer explicitly claiming the equipment is for “professional” use. Without going into detail, you would have little more recourse if your D300 ‘flubbed up’ than you would if a Coolpix did the same thing because they have, essentially, the same warranty.

None of this suggests that a ‘pro’ shouldn’t use a D300 as a main machine (more likely as a back up because the D3x certainly has more capabilities), but it does illustrate that 1) using what you think is a ‘pro’ camera does not shield you from some of the manufacturing ‘glitches’ point-and-shoot users have to deal with and 2)using certain kinds of equipment, per se, does not elevate your work to ‘pro’ levels.

I have finally read all the post from top to bottom. Now, my D300 have not had the DBS problem. But I can understand what Xavier is saying. (1) This original article was posted in January 2008, so it is a fair reflection of the DBS at that point of time. (2) The way Nikon handled the problem by denying the problem at first, but later released the firmware upgrade after a considerable delay. I think they should have addressed the problem since they already knew it from D200. How do Nikon plan to sustain the loyalty of its supporter if the cameras are failing half way when a wedding/conference is going on? The D300 cost much more than coolpix, and I think that is enough reason to justify that a DSLR should be much more reliable than normal digicam.

I agree with K.D Smith that the DSLR e.g. D300 only has a limited life span, such that they become obsolete after a few years. As I also owned the D3, I know that is reliable. But it does not mean that buying a D300 would entitle the manufacturer to be less careful with quality control. If the problem today was the LCD screen not bright enough or the self-cleaning dust mechanism not efficient, I think I can forgive that because the camera can still perform its function â€“ which is to take a photo. But a DBS problem goes to the core of reliability and shooting the pictures at the crucial moment, and I would be asking for serious compensation from Nikon if I had the same problem. Unfortunately, we lived in the real world, so compensation may be out of the question. Well, I guess the result from all of this is people switching to other brands after reading as indicated by some posts above.

Actually a pro or prosumer (the D300 is a prosumer model) shouldn’t have had the issue at all and I am sure that Nikon is embarrassed. Had this problem been among their true pro cameras, i.e., the D3/3x, the issue would have been beyond embarrassing because hi end pro photographers simply cannot afford to be saddled with a model with design ‘glitches.’ Among pros, word spreads like wildfire, so Nikon’s “rep” would have been severely damaged. Both the D200 and the D300 have had what some folks call DBS–Dead Battery Syndrome–and “word around the campfire” seems to indicate at a firmware upgrade (about a 5 min procedure your 8 year old could do) solves the problem.

Yes, mine died, completely, after less than a month. I sent it back to the company and they fixed it. No big deal. One reason to buy Nikon is the customer support. I have it back. It works. I’m happy. Wonderful camera. They just keep getting better.

Actually a pro or prosumer (the D300 is a prosumer model) shouldn’t have had the issue at all and I am sure that Nikon is embarrassed. Had this problem been among their true pro cameras, i.e., the D3/3x, the issue would have been beyond embarrassing because hi end pro photographers simply cannot afford to be saddled with a model with design ‘glitches.’ Among pros, word spreads like wildfire, so Nikon’s “rep” would have been severely damaged. Both the D200 and the D300 have had what some folks call DBS–Dead Battery Syndrome–and “word around the campfire” seems to indicate at a firmware upgrade (about a 5 min procedure your 8 year old could do) solves the problem.

I have finally read all the post from top to bottom. Now, my D300 have not had the DBS problem. But I can understand what Xavier is saying. (1) This original article was posted in January 2008, so it is a fair reflection of the DBS at that point of time. (2) The way Nikon handled the problem by denying the problem at first, but later released the firmware upgrade after a considerable delay. I think they should have addressed the problem since they already knew it from D200. How do Nikon plan to sustain the loyalty of its supporter if the cameras are failing half way when a wedding/conference is going on? The D300 cost much more than coolpix, and I think that is enough reason to justify that a DSLR should be much more reliable than normal digicam.

I agree with K.D Smith that the DSLR e.g. D300 only has a limited life span, such that they become obsolete after a few years. As I also owned the D3, I know that is reliable. But it does not mean that buying a D300 would entitle the manufacturer to be less careful with quality control. If the problem today was the LCD screen not bright enough or the self-cleaning dust mechanism not efficient, I think I can forgive that because the camera can still perform its function â€“ which is to take a photo. But a DBS problem goes to the core of reliability and shooting the pictures at the crucial moment, and I would be asking for serious compensation from Nikon if I had the same problem. Unfortunately, we lived in the real world, so compensation may be out of the question. Well, I guess the result from all of this is people switching to other brands after reading as indicated by some posts above.

You said the following and i repeat it here for those who think a D300 is a “professional” camera:

“…and I would be asking for serious compensation from Nikon if I had the same problem.”

Nikon warranties is professional machines differently than its amateur models. Essentially it has to do with expectations a professional would have from equipment sold to him/her by a manufacturer explicitly claiming the equipment is for “professional” use. Without going into detail, you would have little more recourse if your D300 ‘flubbed up’ than you would if a Coolpix did the same thing because they have, essentially, the same warranty.

None of this suggests that a ‘pro’ shouldn’t use a D300 as a main machine (more likely as a back up because the D3x certainly has more capabilities), but it does illustrate that 1) using what you think is a ‘pro’ camera does not shield you from some of the manufacturing ‘glitches’ point-and-shoot users have to deal with and 2)using certain kinds of equipment, per se, does not elevate your work to ‘pro’ levels.

This morning I was able to easily, immediately, and repeatedly cause the problem by extending the lens to 200 mm and wiggling it slightly. I think the 200mm extension was relevant only in that it gave a little more “leverage”.

I then depressed the lens released button and twisted the lens back and forth on the mount until it clicked into place several times.

I have been unable to reproduce the problem since, leading me to suspect a flakey connection between the lens and the body.

This morning I was able to easily, immediately, and repeatedly cause the problem by extending the lens to 200 mm and wiggling it slightly. I think the 200mm extension was relevant only in that it gave a little more “leverage”.

I then depressed the lens released button and twisted the lens back and forth on the mount until it clicked into place several times.

I have been unable to reproduce the problem since, leading me to suspect a flakey connection between the lens and the body.

This morning I was able to easily, immediately, and repeatedly cause the problem by extending the lens to 200 mm and wiggling it slightly. I think the 200mm extension was relevant only in that it gave a little more “leverage”.

I then depressed the lens released button and twisted the lens back and forth on the mount until it clicked into place several times.

I have been unable to reproduce the problem since, leading me to suspect a flakey connection between the lens and the body.

Hi . . . have been experiencing the Nikon D300 low/dead battery message intermittently the last several months. Temporary solution: turn unit off and back on.

I searched Nikon site for D300 firmware updates but find only one and that does not relate to the battery issue.

Does someone have the name of the update referenced in this thread or perhaps a link to it?

Also talked to Nikon support at length on this issue one day; tech initially denied issue; put me on hold for 5-6 minutes and when he came back he apologized. He said “he” didn’t know about the issue but that it does exist and Nikon is “working on it”. In following up w/Nikon support online (trying to get a timeline on an answer/firmware fix) they consistently deny any knowledge of the issue I describe. After 4-5 messages I gave up.

Am off to buy Deoxit to see if that will cure my woes.

If anyone has info on the Nikon firmware fix, I’d appreciate hearing about it.

Hi . . . have been experiencing the Nikon D300 low/dead battery message intermittently the last several months. Temporary solution: turn unit off and back on.

I searched Nikon site for D300 firmware updates but find only one and that does not relate to the battery issue.

Does someone have the name of the update referenced in this thread or perhaps a link to it?

Also talked to Nikon support at length on this issue one day; tech initially denied issue; put me on hold for 5-6 minutes and when he came back he apologized. He said “he” didn’t know about the issue but that it does exist and Nikon is “working on it”. In following up w/Nikon support online (trying to get a timeline on an answer/firmware fix) they consistently deny any knowledge of the issue I describe. After 4-5 messages I gave up.

Am off to buy Deoxit to see if that will cure my woes.

If anyone has info on the Nikon firmware fix, I’d appreciate hearing about it.

Hi . . . have been experiencing the Nikon D300 low/dead battery message intermittently the last several months. Temporary solution: turn unit off and back on.

I searched Nikon site for D300 firmware updates but find only one and that does not relate to the battery issue.

Does someone have the name of the update referenced in this thread or perhaps a link to it?

Also talked to Nikon support at length on this issue one day; tech initially denied issue; put me on hold for 5-6 minutes and when he came back he apologized. He said “he” didn’t know about the issue but that it does exist and Nikon is “working on it”. In following up w/Nikon support online (trying to get a timeline on an answer/firmware fix) they consistently deny any knowledge of the issue I describe. After 4-5 messages I gave up.

Am off to buy Deoxit to see if that will cure my woes.

If anyone has info on the Nikon firmware fix, I’d appreciate hearing about it.

Taking Mr. Smith’s advice, I went to the Nikon site and downloaded the firmware listed for the D300. Even though it does not list anything about my specific issue, it seems to work and I have not had the problem since installing the firmware. Am hoping it stays that way. Will update this column if I experience the issue again.

Taking Mr. Smith’s advice, I went to the Nikon site and downloaded the firmware listed for the D300. Even though it does not list anything about my specific issue, it seems to work and I have not had the problem since installing the firmware. Am hoping it stays that way. Will update this column if I experience the issue again.

Taking Mr. Smith’s advice, I went to the Nikon site and downloaded the firmware listed for the D300. Even though it does not list anything about my specific issue, it seems to work and I have not had the problem since installing the firmware. Am hoping it stays that way. Will update this column if I experience the issue again.

I think the D300 is a decent prosumer camera. it is certainly not ‘exceptional’ and the comment that it has features that no other camera has is misleading to someone who wants honest, competent advice about buying a prosumer level DSLR. The fact is that, at the prosumer level, nikon, canon and some of the better known (heretofore only for consumer) electronics companies make cameras that all (in the hands of a capable operator) can produce gallery-quality results.

I underscore Xavier’s comment, apparently aimed at some who might take the plunge towards a D300 because it seems so ‘excecptional’ to some. Nikon tends to produce cams at this level (the level just under “professional” quality–AKA ‘prosumer) about every two years or so. Right now the major issue with digital capture is its lack of dynamic range–relative to the ‘old’ film standard–and noise. The next significant iteration in digital will probably be in one or both of those areas.

Tell me another pro-sumer camera in the D300’s class that has 51 auto-focus points or a frame rate of 8fps with the battery grip attached? Those two features alone make the D300 exceptional for it’s class. You’d have to spend a lot more money to get the speed and auto-focus abilities of the D300. Where’s the dishonesty in that?

Tell me another pro-sumer camera in the D300’s class that has 51 auto-focus points or a frame rate of 8fps with the battery grip attached? Those two features alone make the D300 exceptional for it’s class. You’d have to spend a lot more money to get the speed and auto-focus abilities of the D300. Where’s the dishonesty in that?

I think the D300 is a decent prosumer camera. it is certainly not ‘exceptional’ and the comment that it has features that no other camera has is misleading to someone who wants honest, competent advice about buying a prosumer level DSLR. The fact is that, at the prosumer level, nikon, canon and some of the better known (heretofore only for consumer) electronics companies make cameras that all (in the hands of a capable operator) can produce gallery-quality results.

I underscore Xavier’s comment, apparently aimed at some who might take the plunge towards a D300 because it seems so ‘excecptional’ to some. Nikon tends to produce cams at this level (the level just under “professional” quality–AKA ‘prosumer) about every two years or so. Right now the major issue with digital capture is its lack of dynamic range–relative to the ‘old’ film standard–and noise. The next significant iteration in digital will probably be in one or both of those areas.

I think the D300 is a decent prosumer camera. it is certainly not ‘exceptional’ and the comment that it has features that no other camera has is misleading to someone who wants honest, competent advice about buying a prosumer level DSLR. The fact is that, at the prosumer level, nikon, canon and some of the better known (heretofore only for consumer) electronics companies make cameras that all (in the hands of a capable operator) can produce gallery-quality results.

I underscore Xavier’s comment, apparently aimed at some who might take the plunge towards a D300 because it seems so ‘excecptional’ to some. Nikon tends to produce cams at this level (the level just under “professional” quality–AKA ‘prosumer) about every two years or so. Right now the major issue with digital capture is its lack of dynamic range–relative to the ‘old’ film standard–and noise. The next significant iteration in digital will probably be in one or both of those areas.

Tell me another pro-sumer camera in the D300’s class that has 51 auto-focus points or a frame rate of 8fps with the battery grip attached? Those two features alone make the D300 exceptional for it’s class. You’d have to spend a lot more money to get the speed and auto-focus abilities of the D300. Where’s the dishonesty in that?

In addition to the autofocus and frame rate, the D300 also has dedicated switches to select single/multi-point focusing as well as metering modes. With the other pro-sumer cameras these features have to be changed with a button press and dial rotation. These features put the D300 at the top of the pro-sumer ladder simply due to the fact that the only other cameras with these same features are pro-level cameras costing twice as much.

So, yeah, wait for the next DXX camera to get released so you can get a D300 at a bargain price!

In addition to the autofocus and frame rate, the D300 also has dedicated switches to select single/multi-point focusing as well as metering modes. With the other pro-sumer cameras these features have to be changed with a button press and dial rotation. These features put the D300 at the top of the pro-sumer ladder simply due to the fact that the only other cameras with these same features are pro-level cameras costing twice as much.

So, yeah, wait for the next DXX camera to get released so you can get a D300 at a bargain price!

In addition to the autofocus and frame rate, the D300 also has dedicated switches to select single/multi-point focusing as well as metering modes. With the other pro-sumer cameras these features have to be changed with a button press and dial rotation. These features put the D300 at the top of the pro-sumer ladder simply due to the fact that the only other cameras with these same features are pro-level cameras costing twice as much.

So, yeah, wait for the next DXX camera to get released so you can get a D300 at a bargain price!

My D300 with a 18-200mm DX VR lens doesn’t show battery low but it a) doesn’t autofocus and b)give what I call a black frame, which is a almost totally dardk frame that looks as if the shot was made in darkness even though I was in outdoor and fullc super bright summer sunlight. I have tried resetting to default with the two green dots, this works once in awhile, but after I turned the camera off, the black frame came back again. I have switched to other DX and regular AF lenses, the same problem persists, i.e., no autofocusing and black frame.

My D300 with a 18-200mm DX VR lens doesn’t show battery low but it a) doesn’t autofocus and b)give what I call a black frame, which is a almost totally dardk frame that looks as if the shot was made in darkness even though I was in outdoor and fullc super bright summer sunlight. I have tried resetting to default with the two green dots, this works once in awhile, but after I turned the camera off, the black frame came back again. I have switched to other DX and regular AF lenses, the same problem persists, i.e., no autofocusing and black frame.

My D300 with a 18-200mm DX VR lens doesn’t show battery low but it a) doesn’t autofocus and b)give what I call a black frame, which is a almost totally dardk frame that looks as if the shot was made in darkness even though I was in outdoor and fullc super bright summer sunlight. I have tried resetting to default with the two green dots, this works once in awhile, but after I turned the camera off, the black frame came back again. I have switched to other DX and regular AF lenses, the same problem persists, i.e., no autofocusing and black frame.

My D300 with a 18-200mm DX VR lens doesn’t show battery low but it a) doesn’t autofocus and b)give what I call a black frame, which is a almost totally dardk frame that looks as if the shot was made in darkness even though I was in outdoor and fullc super bright summer sunlight. I have tried resetting to default with the two green dots, this works once in awhile, but after I turned the camera off, the black frame came back again. I have switched to other DX and regular AF lenses, the same problem persists, i.e., no autofocusing and black frame.

My D300 with a 18-200mm DX VR lens doesn’t show battery low but it a) doesn’t autofocus and b)give what I call a black frame, which is a almost totally dardk frame that looks as if the shot was made in darkness even though I was in outdoor and fullc super bright summer sunlight. I have tried resetting to default with the two green dots, this works once in awhile, but after I turned the camera off, the black frame came back again. I have switched to other DX and regular AF lenses, the same problem persists, i.e., no autofocusing and black frame.

My D300 with a 18-200mm DX VR lens doesn’t show battery low but it a) doesn’t autofocus and b)give what I call a black frame, which is a almost totally dardk frame that looks as if the shot was made in darkness even though I was in outdoor and fullc super bright summer sunlight. I have tried resetting to default with the two green dots, this works once in awhile, but after I turned the camera off, the black frame came back again. I have switched to other DX and regular AF lenses, the same problem persists, i.e., no autofocusing and black frame.

Sorry to hear about the problem you had with your d300. I hope your 2nd one will serve you well over the years! The only issue I had was with my 55-200mm lense. It would not autofocus at times resulting in blank or blurry pics. I had it replaced, so it’s good to go. I am just getting into photography and I purchased a d300 to start with and all I can say is WOW! I havent had any problems with the unit and hope I wont in the coming years. Have fun everyone!!

Here is an update on my the status D300. It is at Nikon Services in Melville, NY and in the shop so they are working on it at this very moment. The diagnostic, developed after a couple of civil and pleasant exchanges with Nikon technical staff and based on sample JPEGs taken with various lenses and sent to them, is as follows: “bad communication with lens.” The service is classified as B2, meaning “Moderate Repair – Major Parts Replaced”. it will set me back $USD200 plus taxes since the camera is out of warranty by about 3 months. With insured UPS shipping from Maryland to NY costing around $USD70, I will be out around $USD300 total – how appropriate a number! Hopefully the body will come back to me sooner rather than later.

Here is an update on my the status D300. It is at Nikon Services in Melville, NY and in the shop so they are working on it at this very moment. The diagnostic, developed after a couple of civil and pleasant exchanges with Nikon technical staff and based on sample JPEGs taken with various lenses and sent to them, is as follows: “bad communication with lens.” The service is classified as B2, meaning “Moderate Repair – Major Parts Replaced”. it will set me back $USD200 plus taxes since the camera is out of warranty by about 3 months. With insured UPS shipping from Maryland to NY costing around $USD70, I will be out around $USD300 total – how appropriate a number! Hopefully the body will come back to me sooner rather than later.

Sorry to hear about the problem you had with your d300. I hope your 2nd one will serve you well over the years! The only issue I had was with my 55-200mm lense. It would not autofocus at times resulting in blank or blurry pics. I had it replaced, so it’s good to go. I am just getting into photography and I purchased a d300 to start with and all I can say is WOW! I havent had any problems with the unit and hope I wont in the coming years. Have fun everyone!!

Sorry to hear about the problem you had with your d300. I hope your 2nd one will serve you well over the years! The only issue I had was with my 55-200mm lense. It would not autofocus at times resulting in blank or blurry pics. I had it replaced, so it’s good to go. I am just getting into photography and I purchased a d300 to start with and all I can say is WOW! I havent had any problems with the unit and hope I wont in the coming years. Have fun everyone!!

Here is an update on my the status D300. It is at Nikon Services in Melville, NY and in the shop so they are working on it at this very moment. The diagnostic, developed after a couple of civil and pleasant exchanges with Nikon technical staff and based on sample JPEGs taken with various lenses and sent to them, is as follows: “bad communication with lens.” The service is classified as B2, meaning “Moderate Repair – Major Parts Replaced”. it will set me back $USD200 plus taxes since the camera is out of warranty by about 3 months. With insured UPS shipping from Maryland to NY costing around $USD70, I will be out around $USD300 total – how appropriate a number! Hopefully the body will come back to me sooner rather than later.

I Have all my leica R lenses if I fit on the bayonet mount on my leica lens to work on the nikon d200 or d300, do you think that I will also experience the similar problem as others do about battery drainage? Or should I go for the canon cameras & if so which one of the canons are the professional series. Kindly let me know soon.

I Have all my leica R lenses if I fit on the bayonet mount on my leica lens to work on the nikon d200 or d300, do you think that I will also experience the similar problem as others do about battery drainage? Or should I go for the canon cameras & if so which one of the canons are the professional series. Kindly let me know soon.

I Have all my leica R lenses if I fit on the bayonet mount on my leica lens to work on the nikon d200 or d300, do you think that I will also experience the similar problem as others do about battery drainage? Or should I go for the canon cameras & if so which one of the canons are the professional series. Kindly let me know soon.

I purchased my Nikon d-300 back in March,2009 from Abes of Maine. (do not use them!! They will not stand behind their equipment!) I had issues immediatly with spots and what looked like “fuzz” on all my images regardless of how much I cleaned the lenses and image sensor. I called Abes and they literally “Blew me off and wouldn’t even offer to help!” (this was only 2 months after my purchase!) They suggested I call or email Nikon. I did and Nikon asked me to bundle up my camera and send it to them. They kept it for over three weeks and never fixed the issue. The spots and fuzz is still on all my images. I called them and all they would say is they restored the camera to it’s factory settings! Not True!!! It is now August and the camera is still showing those spots and dirt on all my images. Cleaning isn’t helping. My instincts are to get an attorney to get the camera replaced at this point. I’ve invested over $1700.00 in it and still have to virtually crop all my photos in half to get the issues off my photos. HELP???

1) can you see these spots and fuzz while composing the image through the viewfinder?

2) Can you see these spots and fuzz while ccomposing the image using LiveView?

3) are the spots and fuzz consistently on the exact same location (e.g., at the x, y coordinates) on the LCD display on the back of the D300 when you see them there?

4) are the spots and fuzz consistently on the exact same location (e.g., at the x, y coordinates) on the printed image?

Depending on your answers to these questions, the problems would be a) in the camera, b) in the lens you use, and c) in the printer.

Also, since your D300 is new and still under warranty, have you considered asking Nikon to replace it for a new one?

I concur with you that a nastigram from a lawyer cc to some consumer protection org, etc.. plus camera forum postings, does change mind quickly so this is something that should be done also.

Hope the above helps!

Hien

PS – I bought my D300+the 18-200mm lens from Abe of Maine also because it was the cheapest I could find, but I went directly to Nikon for out-of-warranty repair. Nikon did return my D300 in a week in perfect working order (knock on wood) (Please see posts 110 and 111 above)

1) can you see these spots and fuzz while composing the image through the viewfinder?

2) Can you see these spots and fuzz while ccomposing the image using LiveView?

3) are the spots and fuzz consistently on the exact same location (e.g., at the x, y coordinates) on the LCD display on the back of the D300 when you see them there?

4) are the spots and fuzz consistently on the exact same location (e.g., at the x, y coordinates) on the printed image?

Depending on your answers to these questions, the problems would be a) in the camera, b) in the lens you use, and c) in the printer.

Also, since your D300 is new and still under warranty, have you considered asking Nikon to replace it for a new one?

I concur with you that a nastigram from a lawyer cc to some consumer protection org, etc.. plus camera forum postings, does change mind quickly so this is something that should be done also.

Hope the above helps!

Hien

PS – I bought my D300+the 18-200mm lens from Abe of Maine also because it was the cheapest I could find, but I went directly to Nikon for out-of-warranty repair. Nikon did return my D300 in a week in perfect working order (knock on wood) (Please see posts 110 and 111 above)

I purchased my Nikon d-300 back in March,2009 from Abes of Maine. (do not use them!! They will not stand behind their equipment!) I had issues immediatly with spots and what looked like “fuzz” on all my images regardless of how much I cleaned the lenses and image sensor. I called Abes and they literally “Blew me off and wouldn’t even offer to help!” (this was only 2 months after my purchase!) They suggested I call or email Nikon. I did and Nikon asked me to bundle up my camera and send it to them. They kept it for over three weeks and never fixed the issue. The spots and fuzz is still on all my images. I called them and all they would say is they restored the camera to it’s factory settings! Not True!!! It is now August and the camera is still showing those spots and dirt on all my images. Cleaning isn’t helping. My instincts are to get an attorney to get the camera replaced at this point. I’ve invested over $1700.00 in it and still have to virtually crop all my photos in half to get the issues off my photos. HELP???

I purchased my Nikon d-300 back in March,2009 from Abes of Maine. (do not use them!! They will not stand behind their equipment!) I had issues immediatly with spots and what looked like “fuzz” on all my images regardless of how much I cleaned the lenses and image sensor. I called Abes and they literally “Blew me off and wouldn’t even offer to help!” (this was only 2 months after my purchase!) They suggested I call or email Nikon. I did and Nikon asked me to bundle up my camera and send it to them. They kept it for over three weeks and never fixed the issue. The spots and fuzz is still on all my images. I called them and all they would say is they restored the camera to it’s factory settings! Not True!!! It is now August and the camera is still showing those spots and dirt on all my images. Cleaning isn’t helping. My instincts are to get an attorney to get the camera replaced at this point. I’ve invested over $1700.00 in it and still have to virtually crop all my photos in half to get the issues off my photos. HELP???

1) can you see these spots and fuzz while composing the image through the viewfinder?

2) Can you see these spots and fuzz while ccomposing the image using LiveView?

3) are the spots and fuzz consistently on the exact same location (e.g., at the x, y coordinates) on the LCD display on the back of the D300 when you see them there?

4) are the spots and fuzz consistently on the exact same location (e.g., at the x, y coordinates) on the printed image?

Depending on your answers to these questions, the problems would be a) in the camera, b) in the lens you use, and c) in the printer.

Also, since your D300 is new and still under warranty, have you considered asking Nikon to replace it for a new one?

I concur with you that a nastigram from a lawyer cc to some consumer protection org, etc.. plus camera forum postings, does change mind quickly so this is something that should be done also.

Hope the above helps!

Hien

PS – I bought my D300+the 18-200mm lens from Abe of Maine also because it was the cheapest I could find, but I went directly to Nikon for out-of-warranty repair. Nikon did return my D300 in a week in perfect working order (knock on wood) (Please see posts 110 and 111 above)

Well…Xavier, thank you for starting this thread, and I hate that I had to put out a search for a battery issue with my camera – it is one week old and actually is a D300S. This has the latest and greatest firmware on it (there are no updates, according to the Nikon site)

So yes, I may be sending it back, maybe to Amazon (might get it back quick enough for my shoot in a week and a half), maybe to Nikon. I had to send my D200 to Nikon once – had something to do with the grip, they couldn’t duplicate it, but the guy I talked to (who was VERY nice and told me to call him whenever – don’t totally trash their customer support, they do have some good guys there) said he had heard of that issue with the grip, and that if I continued to have it they might be able to adjust the pins. I still use the grip, but just put one battery in it since the problem occured when one of the batteries wore out.

But here’s my point: Xavier, don’t change your title quite yet. I’ve had a Coolpix 990, 8700, D70S, D80, D200 and they have all been flawless (save the grip issue) from start to finish. And none of them are “finished”, they all still work great. I have never had a camera that upon my first serious workout (my ONLY workout so far), a wedding this past weekend, gave me issues when I changed out the battery. I had several batteries on hand, and the first 2 came up dead when I tried to quickly exchange. I started sweating since I was sure I had 4 fully-charged batteries on-hand but suddenly seemed to have done something wrong. I will admit to having some generic batteries that worked flawlessly with my other cameras (D200 and D80), actually better since they carried more juice, and i THINK the battery #3 that finally worked was a Nikon one. It just went dead since I left it on Live View too long between doing some video (you have to use the screen for video). That’s what started up the issue (and my finding this thread). I suddenly confirmed that the fake dead battery thing was real, not just a freak-out moment in the middle of a wedding.

I think the Nikon-brand battery solution has some validity. I have the one from my D200 in there right now (though even it seemed to have an issue at first), and the original one from my D300S seemed to be the most reliable. It’s probably also the cleanest. I am pretty sure the camera knows the difference – I don’t think I have gotten an aftermarket battery to work at all. The D200 battery probably could use some terminal cleaning.

BUT I am not 100% convinced that it just a Nikon-brand battery thing since I did experience some flakiness with even the original battery for a bit. Could be because I was swapping them out and the camera was trying to make sure I wasn’t trying to trick it. I will stick to the Nikon batteries (not much choice apparently) and report back after cleaning them and giving this a run.

The D300S is lovely, the videos are cool (I’m not a video freak, but Nikon is smart to put it on this camera – the industry is changing, folks), the screen is amazing (coming from the D200), definitely beats the D200 at high ISO’s (like an IDIOT I left the ISO at 1250 for some family shotes after shooting a dark wedding, but the pictures are actually redeemable), and I hope BEYOND HOPE that this is all really just a battery brand thing that will go away once I stick to Nikon. I would hate to see the D300S have a real issue out of the box.

Thanks to ALL for your valuable input, I’ll do my best to update once I stick to the Nikon batteries and make sure the terminals are clean.

Well…Xavier, thank you for starting this thread, and I hate that I had to put out a search for a battery issue with my camera – it is one week old and actually is a D300S. This has the latest and greatest firmware on it (there are no updates, according to the Nikon site)

So yes, I may be sending it back, maybe to Amazon (might get it back quick enough for my shoot in a week and a half), maybe to Nikon. I had to send my D200 to Nikon once – had something to do with the grip, they couldn’t duplicate it, but the guy I talked to (who was VERY nice and told me to call him whenever – don’t totally trash their customer support, they do have some good guys there) said he had heard of that issue with the grip, and that if I continued to have it they might be able to adjust the pins. I still use the grip, but just put one battery in it since the problem occured when one of the batteries wore out.

But here’s my point: Xavier, don’t change your title quite yet. I’ve had a Coolpix 990, 8700, D70S, D80, D200 and they have all been flawless (save the grip issue) from start to finish. And none of them are “finished”, they all still work great. I have never had a camera that upon my first serious workout (my ONLY workout so far), a wedding this past weekend, gave me issues when I changed out the battery. I had several batteries on hand, and the first 2 came up dead when I tried to quickly exchange. I started sweating since I was sure I had 4 fully-charged batteries on-hand but suddenly seemed to have done something wrong. I will admit to having some generic batteries that worked flawlessly with my other cameras (D200 and D80), actually better since they carried more juice, and i THINK the battery #3 that finally worked was a Nikon one. It just went dead since I left it on Live View too long between doing some video (you have to use the screen for video). That’s what started up the issue (and my finding this thread). I suddenly confirmed that the fake dead battery thing was real, not just a freak-out moment in the middle of a wedding.

I think the Nikon-brand battery solution has some validity. I have the one from my D200 in there right now (though even it seemed to have an issue at first), and the original one from my D300S seemed to be the most reliable. It’s probably also the cleanest. I am pretty sure the camera knows the difference – I don’t think I have gotten an aftermarket battery to work at all. The D200 battery probably could use some terminal cleaning.

BUT I am not 100% convinced that it just a Nikon-brand battery thing since I did experience some flakiness with even the original battery for a bit. Could be because I was swapping them out and the camera was trying to make sure I wasn’t trying to trick it. I will stick to the Nikon batteries (not much choice apparently) and report back after cleaning them and giving this a run.

The D300S is lovely, the videos are cool (I’m not a video freak, but Nikon is smart to put it on this camera – the industry is changing, folks), the screen is amazing (coming from the D200), definitely beats the D200 at high ISO’s (like an IDIOT I left the ISO at 1250 for some family shotes after shooting a dark wedding, but the pictures are actually redeemable), and I hope BEYOND HOPE that this is all really just a battery brand thing that will go away once I stick to Nikon. I would hate to see the D300S have a real issue out of the box.

Thanks to ALL for your valuable input, I’ll do my best to update once I stick to the Nikon batteries and make sure the terminals are clean.

Well…Xavier, thank you for starting this thread, and I hate that I had to put out a search for a battery issue with my camera – it is one week old and actually is a D300S. This has the latest and greatest firmware on it (there are no updates, according to the Nikon site)

So yes, I may be sending it back, maybe to Amazon (might get it back quick enough for my shoot in a week and a half), maybe to Nikon. I had to send my D200 to Nikon once – had something to do with the grip, they couldn’t duplicate it, but the guy I talked to (who was VERY nice and told me to call him whenever – don’t totally trash their customer support, they do have some good guys there) said he had heard of that issue with the grip, and that if I continued to have it they might be able to adjust the pins. I still use the grip, but just put one battery in it since the problem occured when one of the batteries wore out.

But here’s my point: Xavier, don’t change your title quite yet. I’ve had a Coolpix 990, 8700, D70S, D80, D200 and they have all been flawless (save the grip issue) from start to finish. And none of them are “finished”, they all still work great. I have never had a camera that upon my first serious workout (my ONLY workout so far), a wedding this past weekend, gave me issues when I changed out the battery. I had several batteries on hand, and the first 2 came up dead when I tried to quickly exchange. I started sweating since I was sure I had 4 fully-charged batteries on-hand but suddenly seemed to have done something wrong. I will admit to having some generic batteries that worked flawlessly with my other cameras (D200 and D80), actually better since they carried more juice, and i THINK the battery #3 that finally worked was a Nikon one. It just went dead since I left it on Live View too long between doing some video (you have to use the screen for video). That’s what started up the issue (and my finding this thread). I suddenly confirmed that the fake dead battery thing was real, not just a freak-out moment in the middle of a wedding.

I think the Nikon-brand battery solution has some validity. I have the one from my D200 in there right now (though even it seemed to have an issue at first), and the original one from my D300S seemed to be the most reliable. It’s probably also the cleanest. I am pretty sure the camera knows the difference – I don’t think I have gotten an aftermarket battery to work at all. The D200 battery probably could use some terminal cleaning.

BUT I am not 100% convinced that it just a Nikon-brand battery thing since I did experience some flakiness with even the original battery for a bit. Could be because I was swapping them out and the camera was trying to make sure I wasn’t trying to trick it. I will stick to the Nikon batteries (not much choice apparently) and report back after cleaning them and giving this a run.

The D300S is lovely, the videos are cool (I’m not a video freak, but Nikon is smart to put it on this camera – the industry is changing, folks), the screen is amazing (coming from the D200), definitely beats the D200 at high ISO’s (like an IDIOT I left the ISO at 1250 for some family shotes after shooting a dark wedding, but the pictures are actually redeemable), and I hope BEYOND HOPE that this is all really just a battery brand thing that will go away once I stick to Nikon. I would hate to see the D300S have a real issue out of the box.

Thanks to ALL for your valuable input, I’ll do my best to update once I stick to the Nikon batteries and make sure the terminals are clean.

this isn’t the follow-up yet, just an added note – your title really is good, Xavier, because it perfectly described my emotions at the moment of the search, allowed me to find some possible solutions and get a slight idea of the depth of the issue. When you’ve just chunked down almost 2 grand on a camera, it doesn’t matter if it’s professional or pro-sumer, when the sucker starts screwing up on you at an important moment and you’ve had it for just a few days, “worthless” is the kindest thing you can say about the camera. AND IF this turns out to be a battery brand issue (for the D300S), they really should say that outright so there is no confusion. I’d much rather know that information ahead of time than start hyper-ventilating in the middle of a wedding.

this isn’t the follow-up yet, just an added note – your title really is good, Xavier, because it perfectly described my emotions at the moment of the search, allowed me to find some possible solutions and get a slight idea of the depth of the issue. When you’ve just chunked down almost 2 grand on a camera, it doesn’t matter if it’s professional or pro-sumer, when the sucker starts screwing up on you at an important moment and you’ve had it for just a few days, “worthless” is the kindest thing you can say about the camera. AND IF this turns out to be a battery brand issue (for the D300S), they really should say that outright so there is no confusion. I’d much rather know that information ahead of time than start hyper-ventilating in the middle of a wedding.

this isn’t the follow-up yet, just an added note – your title really is good, Xavier, because it perfectly described my emotions at the moment of the search, allowed me to find some possible solutions and get a slight idea of the depth of the issue. When you’ve just chunked down almost 2 grand on a camera, it doesn’t matter if it’s professional or pro-sumer, when the sucker starts screwing up on you at an important moment and you’ve had it for just a few days, “worthless” is the kindest thing you can say about the camera. AND IF this turns out to be a battery brand issue (for the D300S), they really should say that outright so there is no confusion. I’d much rather know that information ahead of time than start hyper-ventilating in the middle of a wedding.

Hi every body i bought a D300 after i was dreiming for like three years when i start working with i found out that battery get downed after 12:00 with out takeing any pictuers where i live, there are no servce center for fixing or reparing the DSLR cameras i realy need any bodys’ help.. THanks

Hi every body i bought a D300 after i was dreiming for like three years when i start working with i found out that battery get downed after 12:00 with out takeing any pictuers where i live, there are no servce center for fixing or reparing the DSLR cameras i realy need any bodys’ help.. THanks

Hi every body i bought a D300 after i was dreiming for like three years when i start working with i found out that battery get downed after 12:00 with out takeing any pictuers where i live, there are no servce center for fixing or reparing the DSLR cameras i realy need any bodys’ help.. THanks

My experience is all to similar as above statements. I went out to shoot a 5 hour wedding, had 3 batteries fully charged and my Nikon D300. During the ceremony my battery flashed dead, grabbed another one without hestitating and took 3 shots and dead, now I was trembling, grabbed the other one and within 2 shots dead. I could not even use my backup D200 camera because I now ran into 3 dead batteries. I ended up calling my partner who rushed me her D300 and was saved.

Today my partner had a photoshoot and guess what her camera is now showing dead battery on a fully charged battery.

Upset, you can say that. I trusted Nikon and spend a shizoo on lenses of all sizes. If Nikon does not fix this problem I will switch and am sorry to say that I trusted such a great product to have something like this happen to a wedding photographer on the spot.

Nikon get your act together or Cannon will just be my next investment and my partners too.

My experience is all to similar as above statements. I went out to shoot a 5 hour wedding, had 3 batteries fully charged and my Nikon D300. During the ceremony my battery flashed dead, grabbed another one without hestitating and took 3 shots and dead, now I was trembling, grabbed the other one and within 2 shots dead. I could not even use my backup D200 camera because I now ran into 3 dead batteries. I ended up calling my partner who rushed me her D300 and was saved.

Today my partner had a photoshoot and guess what her camera is now showing dead battery on a fully charged battery.

Upset, you can say that. I trusted Nikon and spend a shizoo on lenses of all sizes. If Nikon does not fix this problem I will switch and am sorry to say that I trusted such a great product to have something like this happen to a wedding photographer on the spot.

Nikon get your act together or Cannon will just be my next investment and my partners too.

My experience is all to similar as above statements. I went out to shoot a 5 hour wedding, had 3 batteries fully charged and my Nikon D300. During the ceremony my battery flashed dead, grabbed another one without hestitating and took 3 shots and dead, now I was trembling, grabbed the other one and within 2 shots dead. I could not even use my backup D200 camera because I now ran into 3 dead batteries. I ended up calling my partner who rushed me her D300 and was saved.

Today my partner had a photoshoot and guess what her camera is now showing dead battery on a fully charged battery.

Upset, you can say that. I trusted Nikon and spend a shizoo on lenses of all sizes. If Nikon does not fix this problem I will switch and am sorry to say that I trusted such a great product to have something like this happen to a wedding photographer on the spot.

Nikon get your act together or Cannon will just be my next investment and my partners too.

My D300 started acting up for the first time last Friday. It did it again yesterday. Turning it off after every shot saved me for that day, but I need it a lot for “action” and I usually have it turned on to be ready when needed.

Unfortunately I am living for the next few months in Sharm el Sheikh and have to figure out some way out of this mess, sigh.I will def. go for the tips mentioned here and contact Nikon as well.

It's good to know I'm not alone with this problem though, even though it sucks for the Rest of the Nikon D300.

I have now tested the theory of “Nikon Brand Batteries Only”, and that didn't solve the problem. REEEEALLY irritated, to say the least, but hey, that's what the warranty is for. It's just a real downer to have something that is so great up, meeting and exceeding all expectations until you change the battery. Okay, “downer” was too nice – I'm a Nikon loyalist, but this is pretty stupid.

I know many people with D300's who have not had this or indeed any other problems. With such a popular camera it is ever likely some people will get faulty ones with similar faults! Best camera on the market for the money.

I have the D3, and have the same problem. With a $5,000 camera body, when I press the shutter, I want to know it's going to take the picture. Nikon needs to speak up– I know someone else who has the same issue.

Seriously I am having this issue and this blog describes it PERFECTLY. Nobody else understands this dead battery sign when you have 4 fully charges Nikon brand batteries, and each one tells me they are dead- I turn the camera on and off and it works again for a minute but then it dies again. Its so frustrating, I sent my Nikon off to be repaired and they are telling me there is nothing wrong with my camera. Seriously!? Why would I take time off from photography to ship it out if there was nothing wrong with it? And pay for shipping?

Seriously I am having this issue and this blog describes it PERFECTLY. Nobody else understands this dead battery sign when you have 4 fully charges Nikon brand batteries, and each one tells me they are dead- I turn the camera on and off and it works again for a minute but then it dies again. Its so frustrating, I sent my Nikon off to be repaired and they are telling me there is nothing wrong with my camera. Seriously!? Why would I take time off from photography to ship it out if there was nothing wrong with it? And pay for shipping?

Without warning my D300 body sops communicating with the lens – shutter and autofocus shuts down. Yes — I've cleaned the contact points in both the camera and lens. One night I cleaned the contact points, used the camera, set it down on the table for the night and it was malfunctioning when I picked it up in the morning.

Repair shops are at a loss. I see this is happening to a lot of folks. Has anyone found the source of the problem and a fix??? Please dont tell me to clean the contacts.

Randy, can you please try using your Nikon D300 with different lenses? Many readers have reported that the trouble seems to worsen with VR Nikon lenses. Another thing you shoudl do is update the Nikon D300 firmware. This is the software that runs your camera and is available in the support section of Nikon.com

For me, updating to the latest firmware and cleaning the contacts of body, lenses and batteries (incl. the charger) with a simple cloth seem to have done the trick *knocking on wood*There is nothing else I can tell you – it worked for me (only after the update though!)

I have an older d200 with around 60k actuations and I've experienced this problem, albeit briefly, on a handful of occasions. I'm fairly convinced that it involves loose/faulty contacts. On the occasions which I've experienced this problem, I have always been tilting the lens towards the ground. Generally after tilting the camera back up to it's natural position (to figure out why the shutter won't fire,) it works itself out. Twice I've had to switch it off and switch it back on to convince it that the battery was fine.

I also have a mb–d200 grip that took a spill down the side of a ravine (whoops) that will occasionally decide to corrupt the data on my CF and forces me to format it via my computer. This convinces me further that Nikon has loose contacts in the battery bay. Does anybody else use a grip with their camera that is experiencing DBS?

Bought a D200 in July 2007— in less than 5 months, constant false low battery–sent back to Nikon for repair–they sent me a new camera.Bought a D300 Dec 2007. Then in 2009, bought an MB-D10— with an EN-EL3 in the battery pack and one in the camera, D300 would NOT turn on—false low battery.

However, with an EN-EL3 in the camera and 8 AA's in the MB-D10, the camera would show fully charged. GO FIGURE. But, I did not know, that the camera was actually not drawing ANY juice from the AA's, only from the EN-EL 3 in the camera itself.

So, I bought an EN-EL4a and the little door handle to make it useable in the MB-D10. Back to the false negative battery.

So, paid $250 to Camera Service (auth Nikon repair ctr) to get everything up to snuff. Camera worked perfectly for 2-3 hours—then COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN!!

Camera will NOT turn on at all. No LED showing pictures remaining in flash card—NOTHING.

Isn't life grand??? The camera went south just as I was about to photograph a Golden-winged Warbler–the 2nd rarest warbler in the U.S.!!!

The bird was gone by the time I went back to the SUV to get my back up camera.

So, back to Camera Service to find out what they screwed up in the camera to make it shut down completely. Of course, they will blame something else and take NO responsibility for what has happened—- trust me!!!

This is hard to swallow after buying so called “professional” level SLR, but I've heard a couple of people suggest adding a piece of electrical tape on the inside of the battery door to make sure that the battery stays flush with the contacts. I've found that pushing on the battery door usually resolves the DBS on my camera.

I thought I was the only one having this problem. After spending a lot of money on this camera I am very disappointed with the battery problems. This last time, I put a brand new battery in the camera and it didn't even turn on. Going back to the store I got it from and hopefully they can help me out.